Verses 54–58

Chapter 7: Al-Aʿrāf (Elevations) · Printed edition: Volume 15, pp. 215–258

إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوى‏ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثاً وَ الشَّمْسَ وَ الْقَمَرَ وَ النُّجُومَ مُسَخَّراتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ أَلا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَ الْأَمْرُ تَبارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعالَمِينَ ٥٤ ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعاً وَ خُفْيَةً إِنَّهُ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ ٥٥ وَ لا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلاحِها وَ ادْعُوهُ خَوْفاً وَ طَمَعاً إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ٥٦ وَ هُوَ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّياحَ بُشْراً بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ حَتَّى إِذا أَقَلَّتْ سَحاباً ثِقالاً سُقْناهُ لِبَلَدٍ مَيِّتٍ فَأَنْزَلْنا بِهِ الْماءَ فَأَخْرَجْنا بِهِ مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَراتِ كَذلِكَ نُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتى‏ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ٥٧وَ الْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَباتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَ الَّذِي خَبُثَ لا يَخْرُجُ إِلاَّ نَكِداً كَذلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآياتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ ٥٨

54. Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He settled on the Throne. He draws the night’s cover over the day, which pursues it swiftly, and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, [all of them] subservient by His command. Look! All creation and command belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all nations.
55. Supplicate your Lord, beseechingly and secretly. Indeed He does not like the transgressors.
56. And do not cause corruption on the earth after its restoration, and supplicate Him with fear and hope: indeed Allah’s mercy is close to the virtuous.
57. It is He who sends forth the winds as harbingers of His mercy. When they bear [rain-]laden clouds, We drive them toward a dead land and send down water on it, and with it We bring forth all kinds of crops. Thus shall We raise the dead; maybe you will take admonition.
58. The good land—its vegetation comes out by the permission of its Lord, and as for that which is bad, it does not come out except sparsely. Thus do We paraphrase the signs variously for a people who give thanks.

Introduction

These verses are connected to the previous set of verses and build on them. The main theme of the previous verses was to explain the unpleasant consequences of associating partners with God and rejecting His signs, which would cause eternal damnation and everlasting wretchedness for the person. These verses provide an argument to justify that by explaining that the Lord of all beings is One, and He alone directs the affairs of all. Hence, it is incumbent on everyone to call Him and be grateful to Him.

These verses prove God as the sole Lord of the worlds in two ways: (1) He is the One Who has created the heavens and the earth, and Who directs their affairs in the best way, through an ordered network [of causes and effects] which connects all beings in the universe. Hence, He alone is the Lord of all beings. (2) He is the One Who provides for the people by bringing out all kinds of fruits and crops. He creates these products through the most brilliant and elegant way, which is the rain. Thus He is the Lord of everyone, and they have no lord besides Him.

Commentary

إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوى‏ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثاً وَ الشَّمْسَ وَ الْقَمَرَ وَ النُّجُومَ مُسَخَّراتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ أَلا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَ الْأَمْرُ تَبارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعالَمِينَ ٥٤

(7:54) Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He settled on the Throne. He draws the night’s cover over the day, which pursues it swiftly, and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, [all of them] subservient by His command. Look! All creation and command belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all nations.

We shall fully discuss the meaning of “heaven” and the six days of creation in our exposition of Sūrah Fuṣṣilat [verses ], by God’s will.

… then He settled (istawá) on the Throne (al-ʿarsh). He draws the night’s cover over the day, which pursues it swiftly, and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, [all of them] subservient by His command …: Istiwāʾ means “being firmly established, positioned and ensconced on something.” Sometimes it is used synonymously with tasāwī (equality). For instance, it is said that “Zayd and ʿAmr istawá,” meaning that they are equal [in a certain property]. Similarly the Qur’an says: They are not equal with Allah ().

ʿArsh (throne) means “the seat where a king sits.” Sometimes it is used metaphorically, indicating the station of sovereignty, dominion and majesty. Al-Rāghib says in al-Mufradāt:

The original meaning of ʿarsh is “something that is roofed.” Its plural is ʿurūsh, as God says: it lay fallen on its roofs (ʿurūsh) (). Similarly, when one sets up trellises for vine, one would say ʿarashtu al-karm. When one makes something that resembles a roof for something, one says: ʿarrashtuhu…

ʿArsh can also be compared to the hūdaj (howdah, litter) used to carry women, because the hūdaj has the shape of vine trellis. When one raises a sunshade above a well, one says: ʿarrashtu al-biʾr. A ruler’s seat is called ʿarsh since it is an elevated position…

What we humans know of God’s ʿarsh is only a name. It is not what ordinary people imagine it to be, because then God would be carried on His Throne, not the carrier of the Throne, while He says: Indeed Allah sustains the heavens and the earth lest they should fall apart, and if they were to fall apart there is none who can sustain them except Him ().

Some have said that ʿarsh (Throne) is the highest sphere (falak al-aʿlá), while kursī (Pedestal) is the sphere of fixed stars (falak al-kawākib). They support this interpretation by a Prophetic narration: “The seven heavens and the seven earths compared to the kursī are like a mere ring thrown in a vast plain, and the kursī compared to the ʿarsh has the same relation.”

It has been a consistent custom in all times to seat the heads and rulers of the society in an exclusive fashion that distinguishes them from others. They were provided with special cushions and carpets, and later on with special couches and seats. This way, the word ʿarsh started to convey the meaning of kingdom. It conveys this meaning to a more exclusive and highlighted degree compared to kursī, which includes other kinds of seats and positions as well. Due to repeated usage, the concept of “kingdom” was designated by the word ʿarsh (throne), just as initially the royal seat was known by the concept of “kingdom.” Thus the word ʿarsh began to carry the meaning of kingdom and represent the position of dominion and authority; that is the meaning which it reduces to. It refers to the focal point where all affairs of the society are planned and governed.

To better understand this, imagine a collection of people who gather in a place to form a country together, based on natural, economic or political conditions. They found an independent society of their own and start interacting with each other and exchanging their products. They determine each person’s share based on the weight of the person’s contribution to the society. Now, if they want to maintain their unity, they have no alternative but to have a leader who would take charge of their social order. We know beyond doubt, based on repeated observations, that when a group of people form a single unit and pursue common interests, they cannot maintain their unity and solidarity due to the various forces and intentions involved, unless there is a centralized authority which brings together all differences. There must be a single body that maintains their unity and gives life to the community through its proper direction. Otherwise, the group will immediately disintegrate and break apart.

This is why we see that in modern societies, every affair is classified as a specific category or branch, headed by a certain office or administrative body. There is an intermediate “seat” (kursī) which directs and takes charge of the different branches. Then these seats, being themselves of several categories, are headed by a higher authority or “seat” that supervises them. And thus the system escalates to a single position which holds the reign of all affairs. That is the ultimate “throne” (ʿarsh) and the person who is seated in that position.

It is interesting how this authority is so extended and comprehensive despite its unity: a single command which is issued from the top authority trickles down to the numerous lower offices, taking a different shape in every level according to that level. It appears at every stage in a way that is meaningful to the person in charge of executing that stage of the command. The top authority orders: “Direct the affairs!” whereby the financial body adopts it as a financial directive; the political body adopts it a political directive; and the martial body adopts it as a military directive. It is determined and delimited at every stage all the way from the top to the bottom.

Going from bottom to top, the infinitely many minor and particular acts and laws which are executed in the nation are collected and centered at intermediate “seats” in several stages of aggregation, until all affairs reach the ultimate “throne” where everything is combined and united. On the one hand, the throne is one, because it is a single position directed by a single authority. On the other hand, in its oneness it includes all the detailed and differentiated levels of authority which lie below it at the lower levels. Going from top to bottom, this oneness constantly multiplies and differentiates until it reaches the specific commands which are applicable at the individual level in the society.

The above illustration pertains to our conventional systems of government. This conventional system is necessarily extracted from a similar order in the world of creation. If one reflects on the world of existence, one would realize that it is governed by a similar order of authority: particular events are caused by particular means and forces, which are themselves caused by more universal forces, until they all end up in God as their ultimate cause. The difference there is that God is not a distant cause at one end of the chain, but He is there with every event and present at every level of creation; He encompasses everything. This difference is because God’s mulk (kingdom, sovereignty, authority) is real, while mulk in the human domain is conventional.

This means that the reign of every cause and effect in the world of creation—despite their enormous diversity, multitude and levels—is gathered and held in a single stage of authority which is called “the Throne” (al-ʿarsh), as we shall elaborate on it shortly. The Throne is a locus of all existential and creational forms (ṣuwar kawniyyah) which are directed by God’s command according to His will; And with Him are the treasures of the unseen ().

… then He settled on the Throne…: This is a metaphorical expression to God’s command of His kingdom and His direction of all affairs in the world of creation. It refers to His all-encompassing authority which extends to anything big or small. It is the source from which the order of every affair in the universe issues, through which every being is directed toward its goal and meets its needs. That is why in a similar verse in Sūrah Yūnus God says: then He settled on the Throne, directing the command (). The verse means that the Throne represents the divine direction of affairs in the universe.

… He draws (yughshī) the night’s cover over the day…: The verb yughshī is synonymous with yasturu (covers, conceals, veils). It means: “God covers the night with the day.”

…which pursues it swiftly (ḥathīthan)…: The night chases the day in order to cover and conceal it. Ḥathīth is synonymous with sarīʿ (fast, quick, swift). This expression suggests that darkness is the primary state of the earth, and the day is an accidental quality which comes on top of the night because of sunlight. The night is the dark cone which always shadows half of the earth that is not facing the sun. Based on the verse’s imagery, it is as if the night is always chasing and assaulting the day.

… and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, [all of them] subservient by His command (bi-amrihi)…: The three words at the beginning of the phrase here—the sun, the moon, and the stars—are in the accusative form, meaning that they are the objects of Allah, Who created. This means that subservient by His command serves as a ḥāl (circumstantial qualifier, participial phrase), describing the condition in which the sun, the moon, and the stars are created. The meaning would be: “And He created the sun, the moon and the stars while they are subjugated by His command”—they follow the course that He wills for them, toward a goal that He has willed for them. The letter bāʾ in bi-amrihi (“by” in by His command) indicates sababiyyah (causality or instrumentality). Several reciters have recited the three words with rafʿ, which makes them the subject of a new sentence, whose predicate would be: are subservient by His command.

Given the theme of the verse, this entire phrase—He draws the night’s cover over the day…—serves as an interpretation and elaboration for: then He settled on the Throne. We see a similar pattern in all verses which talk about the Throne [and the idea of God settling on it], where there is some reference made, either directly or indirectly, to God’s direction of the affairs of creation.

The Meaning of Creation (Khalq) and Command (Amr)

… Look! All creation (al-khalq) and command (al-amr) belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all nations: The word khalq is originally synonymous with taqdīr (measurement, determination, design, arrangement). It means “putting two things together in order to define the measures and bounds of something new.” However, in the context of religion it means “to originate and give existence to something ex nihilo” (ibdāʿ, ījād). The word amr has two meanings: (1) As a noun it is synonymous with shaʾn (affair, status, case, issue, condition). Its plural form is umūr. (2) As a verb it means “to order, to command.” When one charges someone to perform an act, one would say: amartuhu amran. It is quite possible that the original meaning of amr was its verbal meaning, then the nominal meaning was deduced from performing an order. A command (amr) tends to give more structure and order to the life and affairs of the one who is commanded. That is why one’s status and condition (shaʾn) in life is called amr. Then the usage of the word was generalized to other beings. The amr (affair, matter) of anything is an optimal condition which puts the affairs of that thing into order and gives direction to its various aspects, movements, actions and objectives. For instance, it is said, “The amr of a servant is up to his master”; “The amr of wealth is up to its owner”; and “The amr of a person is up to his Lord.” All these statements express who is in charge of directing and managing the life and affairs of that person or thing.

The plural form of the first meaning of amr—the nominal sense, synonymous with shaʾn—is umūr, while the plural form of the second meaning—the verbal sense, which is the opposite of nahy (to prohibit, to forbid)—is awāmir. It may be objected that this difference shows that they are two different terms, and one cannot be reduced to another. However, this is not a valid objection, as there are many other terms that have a similar case. Anyone who studies linguistics will come across several such alternatives [which are derived from the same original meaning].

Amr is like a medium which connects on one end to “the owner of command”—such as a master—and on the other end to “the one who is commanded”—such as a servant. Thus it is annexed and ascribed to both. Sometimes it is said, “the servant’s amr (matter, case, command)” as the Qur’an says: and his matter (amr) shall rest with Allah (); and sometimes it is said, “the master’s amr (matter, case, command)” as the Qur’an says: Allah’s command (amr) is coming ().

Everything has an aspect of amr (command, affair) which belongs to God, and this amr is defined and interpreted in the following verses: All His command, when He wills something, is to say to it “Be,” and it is. So glory be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom of all things and to Whom you shall be brought back (). “All things” in verse includes any essence, quality, action or effect. Their amr, which is in the hands of God, is the word “be” (kun), which indicates ījād (existentiation, giving existence to an entity). God’s amr is the existence that He bestows upon all things, by which they come to existence. When He says to something, “be,” it becomes. This bestowed existence is connected to God on one end, and in this sense it is called “God’s amr (command),” which is the divine word, “be.” It is also connected to the being which is given existence, and thus it can be ascribed to the being as “its amr,” which again is the aspect of the being that traces back to God. This aspect is referred to as “and it is” (fa-yakūnu) in verse . The first aspect [which relates to God] can be called ījād (existentiation), and the second aspect [which relates to the recipient] can be called wujūd (existence, being). The Qur’an mentions various qualities and features for each of these two aspects of amr, which we shall discuss in its appropriate place, if God wills.

To summarize: God’s amr (command) means giving existence (ījād) instantaneously. His amr includes the existence which He gives to an entity in the first place, as well as the existence that He gives to its qualities and effects [which are subsequent to its essence]. God is in charge of not only the very essence of every being, but also how every being is structured and functions. Nothing is in possession of anything of itself. God’s khalq (creation) means giving existence (ījād) according to some measurement and composition. God’s khalq is sometimes in the form of adding different parts together, as when the different components are put together to form the sperm, which then fertilizes the ovum, which then grows into a full human by feeding on nutrients from the body in proper conditions. And sometimes His khalq is not by piecing various parts together, as in the case of simple immaterial beings, where what is added to the being is not external components, but only the existential degree of the being, as well as the effects and functions of that being in its interaction with other existents. In other words, all beings are measured (muqaddar) and created (makhlūq) by God, whether they are the most primary principles in existence [that is, simple immaterial beings] or compound [material] beings. God says: and He created everything and determined it in a precise measure (); He who gave everything its creation and then guided it (); Allah is the Creator of all things (, , , ). These verses show that God’s khalq (creation) includes and applies to everything.

In other words, khalq means giving existence to something according to some plan, measure and order, whether that thing can be differentiated into separate parts [as in the case of compound material beings] or not [as in the case of simple immaterial beings]. This is contrary to amr, which is existentiation without the aspect of taqdīr (measurement, design, arrangement). This subtle point is the source of two differences in the Qur’anic usages of the words khalq and amr: (1) Khalq is sometimes gradual, as the Qur’an says: Who created the heavens and the earth in six days (). However, amr is not gradual: And Our command is but a single [word], like the twinkling of an eye (). (2) Khalq is sometimes attributed to other beings than God, as He says [addressing Prophet Jesus]: when you would create from clay the form of a bird, with My leave, and you would breathe into it (); and He also says: So blessed is Allah, the best of creators (). However, amr, in this sense [of bringing something to existence] is never attributed to other beings, but is reserved exclusively for God.

Amr is what functions between God and the thing which He wills to exist, like the spirit which is a means by which the body lives. Reflect on these verses: the sun, the moon, and the stars, [all of them] subservient by His command (bi-amrihi) (); that the ships may sail by His command (bi-amrihi) (); He sends down the angels with the Spirit of His command (bi-amrihi) (); and they act by His command (bi-amrihi) (). There are many other verses similar to those, where a certain phenomenon occurs “by His command” (bi-amrihi). The letter bāʾ (by) in these verses indicate either causality (sababiyyah) or company (muṣāḥabah).

In short, khalq (creation) and amr (command) are two considerations of the same essential meaning [of existentiation]. Khalq is a stage of creation which is subsequent to some taqdīr (measurement, determination, design, arrangement). Therefore, it best applies to the creation of the very essence of the beings, because the process of giving existence to an essence involves the determination of its features and effects. Amr, on the other hand, best applies to the creation and management of the features and effects of the beings, and the general system of causes and effects through which they interact with one another, all of which is subsequent to the creation of their essences. This distinction is applicable when both terms are used together. Otherwise, if they are used independently, each term may be used for all stages of existence, whether it involves measurement (taqdīr) or not. The reader should reflect on this.

… All creation and command belong to Him…: Since the verse here talks about two things—creation (khalq) and command (amr), separated by the conjunction “and”—it suggests that the two are distinct from one another. As we explained above, khalq refers to giving existence to the very essence of the beings, while amr refers to giving existence to the effects of the beings and the order of their interactions. The two stages of God’s creation and command can be mapped onto two statements at the beginning of the verse: (1) Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days (). This refers to the creation of the essence of the beings [which is gradual and based on a plan]. (2) Then He settled on the Throne. He draws the night’s cover over the day… (). This refers to the arrangement and ordainment of a perfect system which puts the different aspects and affairs of the beings into an ordered chain. Therefore, the two stages of existentiation can also be inferred from the first part of the verse.

Objection: Using the conjunction “and” does not necessarily imply a distinction between the two sides of conjunction. Otherwise, we should conclude that Gabriel is not one of the angels based on the verse: Whoever is an enemy of Allah, His angels and His messengers, and Gabriel ().

Response: What is meant is that there must be some distinction in one way or another, which could be a matter of consideration and perspective. Otherwise, it is wrong to use a conjunction between something and itself [where the two sides of conjunction are identical, without any sense of otherness whatsoever], such as: “Zayd and Zayd came” or “I saw ʿAmr and ʿAmr.” In the case of Gabriel, even though he is one of the angels, he differs from them in terms of his lofty position, power, and nearness to the Lord of the Throne [].

… Blessed is (tabāraka, from barakah) Allah, the Lord of all nations: That is, He is possessor of abundant good (barakah) which He descends upon those whom He sustains, which includes everyone in all worlds. That is because He is their rabb (lord, sustainer, nourisher, director).

Discourse

The discussion “Discussion on the Meaning of God’s Throne” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.

ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعاً وَ خُفْيَةً إِنَّهُ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ ٥٥ وَ لا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلاحِها وَ ادْعُوهُ خَوْفاً وَ طَمَعاً إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ٥٦

(7:55-56) Supplicate your Lord, beseechingly (taḍarruʿan) and secretly (khufyah). Indeed He does not like the transgressors. And do not cause corruption on the earth after its restoration, and supplicate Him with fear and hope: indeed Allah’s mercy is close to the virtuous.

Taḍarruʿ is “to express humiliation and servility.” It is derived from ḍarāʿah, which means “weakness and abasement.” Khufyah is “to be hidden and disguised.” It is quite possible that khufyah also refers to humiliation here, mentioned to emphasize taḍarruʿ. The connection is that when one entreats with humility, he almost becomes hidden and unnoticeable due to his abasement and degradation [of himself].

The last verse—Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created… ()—stated that God alone is the Lord of the worlds because He is the sole Creator of the world and the sole Director of its affairs. The current two verses serve as a conclusion to that. They order the audience to call God and be servants to Him. One must adopt a religion that is commensurate to God’s Lordship: He is the sole Lord of the world, both at the level of creation and direction of its affairs.

Supplicate your Lord, beseechingly and (wa) secretly…: That is, one should supplicate God with humbleness and without raising their voice, for that would be against the manners of servitude. Praying loudly would be a transgression of the limits of servitude: Indeed He does not like the transgressors. This is assuming that the letter wāw means the conjunction “and,” which shows that both conditions—beseechingly and secretly—must be met in supplications. Another possibility is that the letter wāw means the conjunction “or” (aw), which introduces an alternative. This means that one should supplicate God either beseechingly, which is normally aloud; or secretly, with a low voice. That is what servitude to God entails; and if one transgresses the limits of servitude: Indeed He does not like the transgressors.

Another possibility is: What is really meant by beseechingly and secretly is “loudly and quietly” (jahr wa sirr). The verse has replaced taḍarruʿ (beseeching, entreaty, humiliation) for jahr to clarify that being loud in supplication is against the manners of servitude unless the person does so out of taḍarruʿ.

And do not cause corruption on the earth after its restoration…: This command pertains to how people should deal with one another, whereas the last verse was about one’s relationship with God (as one’s Lord). The core message of religion with respect to human rights is that people should enhance their living conditions by eradicating injustice from amongst them, and dealing with each other in a way that helps them to have more taqwá (Godwariness, self-restraint), whereby they can achieve happiness in this world and the next.

… and supplicate Him with fear and hope…: Humans have always sought to serve a lord and worship a god based on these two drives. Fear and hope are two common ways which have led the people to arrive at religion throughout the history. Sometimes people would adopt and worship a god in order to be secure from its harm; and sometimes they would adopt and worship a god in order to reach some benefit through it. However, fear alone may lead one to despair and desolation, resulting in a total abandonment of worship; while hope alone may result in latitude and neglect with respect to the duties of servitude, again leading to a total abandonment of worship. There have been many cases of both. That is why God commands both of these by saying, supplicate Him with fear and hope, so that each of the two qualities would check and balance the other quality, and prevent its unwanted consequences. This maps to a more universal principle which governs the world of creation based on the two factors of attraction and repulsion.

… indeed Allah’s mercy (raḥmah) is close (qarīb) to the virtuous (al-muḥsinīn, from iḥsān): Here God defines the above-mentioned qualities—of balance in worship and refraining from corruption on the land after its restoration—as iḥsān (virtue, excellence, righteousness). The verse implies that those who respond to God’s call are the virtuous, which is glad tidings to them, because it means that God’s mercy is close to them.

While the word raḥmah (mercy) is feminine, the verses uses it with a masculine adjective qarīb (close) instead of its feminine form qarībah. There are three possible explanations for this: (1) Raḥmah is used as a maṣdar (verbal noun, gerund) here, which makes it gender-neutral and thus capable of taking both masculine and feminine adjectives. (2) Some have said that raḥmah denotes iḥsān in this verse, which is masculine. (3) Qarīb is based on the faʿīl verbal patterns, which is sometimes equivalent to fāʿil (active participial noun, nominative case) and sometimes to mafʿūl (passive participial noun, accusative case). In the case of qarīb, some have said that it is the latter, which makes it gender-neutral and thus capable of taking both masculine and feminine adjectives. A similar usage is seen in the verse: What do you know—maybe the Hour is near ().

وَ هُوَ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّياحَ بُشْراً بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ حَتَّى إِذا أَقَلَّتْ سَحاباً ثِقالاً سُقْناهُ لِبَلَدٍ مَيِّتٍ فَأَنْزَلْنا بِهِ الْماءَ فَأَخْرَجْنا بِهِ مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَراتِ كَذلِكَ نُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتى‏ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ٥٧

(7:57) It is He who sends forth the winds as harbingers (bushran) of His mercy. When they bear (aqallat, from iqlāl) [rain-]laden clouds (saḥāban thiqālan), We drive them toward a dead land (li-balad mayyit) and send down water on it, and with it We bring forth all kinds of crops. Thus shall We raise the dead; maybe you will take admonition.

This verse is also about God’s Lordship, but specifically with respect to the return of creation to Him. What we read above was about God’s Lordship with respect to the origin of creation: Indeed your Lord is Allah… ().

The word bushr is originally bushur, which is the plural of bashīr (bearer of good news), much like nudhur which is the plural nadhīr (warner). “Mercy” in this verse means “rain.” The verse literally says: “He sends forth the winds as bearers of good news before (bayna yaday) His mercy” [where the word “before” is omitted from the English translation]. What is meant by bayna yaday is “before, in front of, prior to.” The verse involves a metaphorical expression, where rain is compared to someone who is away from his family, then a herald comes before him and gives them the good news that their awaited traveler is forthcoming.

Iqlāl is synonymous with ḥaml (to bear, to carry). Saḥāb means ghamām (cloud). A single cloud is called saḥābah or ghamāmah, just as a single date is called tamrah. Clouds are thiqāl (lit. heavy, loaded) in the sense that they carry the weight of rainwater. Li-balad mayyit can be interpreted in two ways: (1) “For the sake of a dead land” or “destined for a dead land,” where the letter lām means li-ajl. (2) “Toward a dead land,” where letter lām means ilá (to, toward). The rest of the verse should be clear.

The verse’s argument is that the revival of the earth proves the possibility of the revival of the dead, because the two are of the same nature. This is based on the metaphysical principle that similar events (amthāl) follow the same rules of possibility and impossibility. Those who die do not vanish into non-existence altogether, because their souls are preserved, although their bodies disintegrate. This is similar to the plants, where the parts of them which remain on the ground wither, but their roots maintain their vegetative life. The plant remains without any growth, but it reclaims it active life later on. Thus God brings the dead back to life. The universal revivification of the dead on the Day of Resurrection is like the particular revivification of the earth every year. There is more to add to this discussion, which we shall present in another place, if God wills.

وَ الْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَباتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَ الَّذِي خَبُثَ لا يَخْرُجُ إِلاَّ نَكِداً كَذلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآياتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ ٥٨

(7:58) The good land—its vegetation comes out by the permission of its Lord, and as for that which is bad, it does not come out except sparsely (nakadan). Thus do We paraphrase the signs variously for a people who give thanks.

Nakad means qalīl (little, slight, scarce). Apart from the context, the verse itself resembles common proverbs which use the same imagery to state that good deeds and results issue from good sources, and evil deeds and results ensue from evil sources. In this sense, the verse can be compared to the sentence, Even as He brought you forth in the beginning, so will you return (), which we discussed above. However, given the theme and context of the last verse, this verse would mean that the different shares of mercy that people receive is because of a difference on their end; otherwise, God’s mercy is universal and unqualified.

Examining Narrations

What we observe in the books of narration is that the Companions of the Prophet never provided any real discussion of concepts like ʿarsh (Throne) and kursī (Pedestal). Nor did they address deeper Qur’anic realities, even topics that pertain to God’s oneness (tawḥīd). Instead, they were always content with the apparent meaning of religious teachings, and never explored beyond that. We see the same approach among their Followers (tābiʿīn) and the early exegetes. The following accounts illustrate this approach.

1. It is narrated from Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah: The interpretation of any description of God in the Qur’an is only to recite it and remain silent about it.
2. Once someone asked Imam Mālik, “O Abā ʿAbd-Allah. He settled on the Throne (): How did He settle?”

The narrator says: I had never seen Mālik enraged at anything as he was incensed by this statement. He started sweating, and the audience [that is, his students] dropped their heads [in silence and contemplation]. When he recovered from that state, he said, “The how is unintelligible; His settlement is not unknown; believing in it is obligatory; asking about it is innovation in the religion (bidʿah); and I’m afraid that you are misguided.” Thus he ordered the man to be taken out.

Author’s comment: Apparently his answer is deduced from the following account.

3. Concerning the All-Merciful, settled on the Throne (), it is narrated from Umm Salamah: The how is unintelligible; [the meaning of] sitting is not unknown; accepting it is īmān (belief, faith); and denying it is kufr (disbelief, infidelity, heresy).

Author’s comment: This was their [the Companions’ and the early scholars’] approach on this topics. We have not received anything from them except what is found in the words of Imam ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib and his descendants. Here we shall present some of what we find in their words.

4. Part of Imam ʿAlī’s response to al-Jāthlīq was: Indeed the angels bear the Throne, but the Throne is not in the form of a couch, as you may assume. Rather, it is something that is limited, created, governed, and owned by your Lord. He is not on it as an object is placed on another object.
5. Al-Jāthlīq asked Imam ʿAlī, “Tell me about the Almighty God: Does He carry the Throne, or does the Throne carry Him?”

The Imam replied, “God is the bearer of the Throne, the heavens, the earth, and whatever is in them and between them. He says: Indeed Allah sustains the heavens and the earth lest they should fall apart, and if they were to fall apart there is none who can sustain them except Him. Indeed He is All-Forbearing, All-Forgiving ().”

Al-Jāthlīq asked, “So how come He says: and the Throne of your Lord will be borne that day by eight [angels] ()? Because you said He is the One Who bears the Throne, the heavens, and the earth.”

Imam ʿAlī replied, “The Almighty God created the Throne from four lights: a red light which gives redness to the color red; a green light which gives greenness to the color green; a yellow light which gives yellowness to the color yellow; and a white light which gives whiteness to the color white.

That is the knowledge which He has loaded upon the bearers. It is a light from the light of His glory. It is by His glory and light that the hearts of the believers see [the truth]. It is by His glory and light that the fools oppose Him. It is by His glory and light that everyone in the heavens and the earth—including all of His creatures—seek some means of nearness to Him through their different deeds and their varying religions. Hence, everything is carried; God carries everything with His light, glory and power. Nothing is in charge of its own harm, benefit, death, life or resurrection. Everything is carried, and the Almighty God maintains them [the heavens and the earth] lest they should fall apart [], and He encompasses anything that is in them. He is the life of everything and the light of everything. Immaculate is He, and greatly exalted above what they say [].”

Al-Jāthlīq asked, “Now tell me, where is God?”

Imam ʿAlī said, “He is here and here, above and below, encompassing us and with us. He says: There is no secret talk among three, but He is their fourth [companion], nor among five but He is their sixth, nor less than that, nor more, but He is with them wherever they may be (). God’s kursī (Pedestal) encompasses the heavens, the earth, whatever is between them, and whatever is under the ground. Whether you speak loudly [or in secret tones] He indeed knows the secret and what is still more hidden (). Thus He says: His seat (kursī) embraces the heavens and the earth, and He is not wearied by their preservation, and He is the All-Exalted, the All-Supreme ().

Those who bear the Throne are the scholars that God has loaded His knowledge upon them. Nothing of what He has created in His kingdom (malakūt) is outside of these four [lights]. That is the kingdom which God has shown His chosen servants. That is what He showed His friend (khalīl): Thus did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, that he might be of those who possess certitude (). How could the carriers of the Throne carry God when it is by His light that their hearts live, and it is by His light that they are guided to His knowledge!?…”

Author’s comment: We shall discuss a few segments of this hadith one by one:

(i) Al-Jāthlīq’s question—“Does He carry the Throne, or does the Throne carry Him?”—shows that he was thinking in physical terms. He supposed this ḥaml (bearing, carrying, carriage) to be as a physical body bears the load of another physical body. The Imam’s answer—that “God is the bearer of the Throne, the heavens, the earth…”—analyzes and interprets ḥaml as carrying the very existence of something. God supports the existence of all things. Everything completely depends on Him, without any existence of itself. Based on this definition [of ḥaml], it should be clear that other beings are borne by God, not that they bear Him.

(ii) That is why al-Jāthlīq moved on to ask the Imam about the verse: and the Throne of your Lord will be borne that day by eight [angels] (). The above definition of ḥaml [in the existential sense] is restricted to God, but this verse ascribes ḥaml to other than Him. Here the Imam provided a second interpretation for ḥaml: bearing God’s knowledge. In other words, he interpreted the Throne as knowledge.

The Imam then continued to clarify the apparent contradiction between the two interpretations. He explained that what is meant by knowledge here is not the ordinary sense of knowledge, which is acquired, conceptual and mediate (al-ʿilm al-ḥuṣūlī). Rather, it signifies the light of God’s glory and power, which is shown to the bearers of the Throne to witness through presential and immediate knowledge (al-ʿilm al-ḥuḍūrī). This knowledge [which is the same as the Throne] is borne by these bearers, while at the same time it is borne by God. There is no contradiction between the two, much like the case of our acts: our acts are present with us, which means that we carry them; but at the same time they are present with God, which means that He carries them. Ultimately, He is the true owner of our acts, Who has then given us ownership over them [as His deputies, extensions or expressions].

In other words, God’s Throne which encompasses everything is the same as the light of God’s glory and power, which brings everything into manifestation. Hence the Throne represents God’s kingdom over everything below it. God is the One Who carries this light, but He has also unveiled it to certain beings to witness it. Thus they are also carriers of this light with His leave [not independently]. God is the bearer of both the bearer and the borne.

This means that there are two meanings for the Throne: (1) In the verse, then He settled on the Throne (), the Throne—or settling on the Throne—means God’s kingdom and dominion. (2) In the verse, and the Throne of your Lord will be borne… (), the Throne means God’s knowledge. These are in fact one and the same, because they refer to the divine position from which all things appear, and where all the particular and detailed affairs of the world of existence are governed in an undifferentiated manner. It is the station of divine dominion and direction of affairs, as well as the station of divine knowledge which shines light on all beings.

(iii) “It is by His glory and light that the hearts of the believers see…” This part of the hadith shows that the Throne is a station which outlines the system which governs the life and evolution of all beings. It determines the path which the community of the believers will pursue in their journey toward God. It is also the source of the order which brings doom to wretched people and covers those who are ignorant of their Lord’s majesty. Overall, the system of laws which governs all beings in the universe is rooted in this station called the Throne. That is the system through which all individuals move toward their Lord through their actions and customs, whether they know what means of proximity they should seek or not.

(iv) “He is the life of everything and the light of everything”: This sentence explains and justifies what the Imam said earlier: “Hence, everything is carried; God carries everything…” The effective meaning is: God is the source of existence of everything, and His knowledge encompasses them all. Thus He manifests for everything the specific path that it should pursue in its existential journey. He illuminates the darkness of the path for the traveler on the path through His light. That is why nothing possesses anything of itself, but God is the owner of all things and the bearer of their existence.

(v) “He is here and here, above and below…” Since God supports, sustains and bears the existence of all things, no place is empty of Him, while no place includes Him more than any other place either. When it is said that “God is in a certain place” or that “He is with something” where that thing is bound by location, what is meant is that He sustains, bears and encompasses the existence of that thing and place, which is equally true about any other being and place as well. This reduces to God’s active knowledge (al-ʿilm al-fiʿlī) of all things, which means that all things are present to Him without any veil. That is why the Imam said: “God’s kursī (Pedestal) encompasses the heavens, the earth, whatever is between them, and whatever is under the ground ().” This refers to God’s existential encompassment of all things (iḥātah). Then the Imam linked this to His knowledge of all things: “Whether you speak loudly [or in secret tones] He indeed knows the secret and what is still more hidden ().” This means that the kursī—which is used here synonymously with ʿarsh (Throne)—represents two stations of the divine: (1) His encompassment, direction and maintenance [of the world of existence]; and (2) His presential, direct and immediate knowledge [of all things]. The Imam then matched this with the verse: His seat (kursī) embraces the heavens and the earth… ().

(vi) “Nothing of what has created in His kingdom is outside of these four”: This apparently refers to the four colors that were mentioned at the beginning of the hadith. We shall discuss this further when we examine the narrations about the [Prophet’s] ascension (miʿrāj).

(vii) “And that is the kingdom which God has shown His chosen servants.” This means that the Throne is the same as God’s malakūt (kingdom, dominion, sovereignty). Malakūt is classified into the higher malakūt (called aʿlá) and the lower malakūt (called asfal). The Throne is a position of concision, before the differentiation of the particulars. It is the inward gate out of the two gates, as we shall see in the next hadith. Therefore, it is better to interpret it as the higher malakūt.

(viii) “How could the carriers of the Throne carry God…?” This reiterates and emphasizes what was mentioned at the beginning of the hadith—that the Throne is the divine station of bearing and supporting the existence of all things. Therefore, the bearers of the Throne cannot be God’s bearers, but are themselves borne by Him. How could it be otherwise when they utterly depend on Him—in their very existence and their subsequent existential progress?

(ix) “It is by His light that their hearts live, and it is by His light that they are guided to His knowledge.” Here “their hearts” refers to their existence, and “their guiding light” refers to their existential perfection. “Heart” and “light” are used here in accordance with the Throne representing the station of divine knowledge.

6. Ḥannan b. Sadīr says: Once I asked Imam al-Ṣādiq about ʿarsh (Throne) and kursī (Pedestal). He said: “The Throne has many different qualities. Whenever the Qur’an uses this term, it mentions the quality which pertains to that context. For instance, the Lord of the Great Throne (, , ) means ‘the Lord of the Great kingdom (mulk)’; and the All-Merciful, settled on the Throne () means ‘He has enveloped the kingdom (ʿalá al-mulk ihtawá).’ This is God’s knowledge about the modality and quality (kayfūfiyyah) of all things.

When used in conjunction, ʿarsh is distinct from kursī. They are two of the greatest gates of the unseen. They are both part of the unseen, and are linked to one another. Kursī is the outward gate of the unseen: it is the starting point of all original things, and all beings emanate from it. ʿArsh is the inward gate which comprises of the knowledge of quality, existence, measure, limit, place, decree, quality of will, terms, movements, abstention, origin and return. They are two gates of knowledge, where one is a counterpart of another. The mulk (kingdom, dominion, sovereignty) of ʿarsh is different from the mulk of kursī, and the knowledge of ʿarsh is more comprehensive than the knowledge of kursī. That is why God says, the Lord of the Great Throne (, , ). The adjective ‘great’ here shows that the ʿarsh is greater than the kursī. Nevertheless, they are linked to one another.”

I asked: “May I be your ransom! Why is the ʿarsh placed at the same level as the kursī in terms of merit?”

“The two are adjacent,” the Imam explained, “because one [the ʿarsh] comprises of the knowledge of modality and quality [of all things]; and the other [the kursī] comprises of the outward gates of origination, position, and the outline of the expansion and contraction [of all things]. Thus they are adjacent to one another; one conveys the meaning of the other interchangeably. This is like when the scholars express their arguments in different words to prove their claim. That is because: He singles out for His mercy whomever He wills [, ] and He is the All-Strong, the All-Mighty [].”

Author’s comment: We shall discuss a few points from this hadith one by one:

(i) “The Throne has many different qualities…” This supports what we said in the exposition of the verse, that God’s istiwāʾ (settlement, establishment, sitting) shows that God holds the rein of directing all affairs of the universe. The same idea is confirmed at the end of the hadith, where the Imam says: “This is like when the scholars express their arguments in different words.”

(ii) “This is God’s knowledge about the modality and quality (kayfūfiyyah) of all things.” What is meant here is knowledge of the higher causes that give existence to things. There are two common usages for the word kayf (lit. how): (1) Sometimes it is used to inquire about the quality of something. This is classified as an accident (ʿaraḍī) in metaphysics. (2) Sometimes it is used to ask about the cause or reason for something, as one would ask, “How did this happen?” or “How did Zayd do this when he did not have the means to do it?”

(iii) “When used in conjunction, ʿarsh is distinct from kursī…” That is: ʿArsh and kursī are the same in the sense that they represent a station in the unseen realm, from which the beings manifest and descend into this world. However, when used together in one sentence, they convey different meanings because that station itself divides into two aspects. It consists of two gates which are not wholly distinct since they mirror one another. There is an outward gate which opens to our [visible] world, and there is an inward door which is behind it. The Imam explained this by saying: “Kursī is the outward gate of the unseen…”

(iv) “Kursī is the outward gate of the unseen: it is the starting point of all original things (al-bidaʿ), and all beings emanate from it.” What is meant by bidaʿ is beings without a previous model or example. “All beings emanate from it” because all beings have an original creation; they are not a replica of a previous version. An event would be badīʿ (original, wondrous) if its occurrence is unanticipated based on the conditions which gave rise to the events prior to it. In other words, an event comes and replaces what was previously expected to occur. This means that origination (ibdāʾ) reduces to badāʾ (alteration, apparent change of the course of events), where God cancels the effect of one cause and replaces it with another.

Therefore, all events that occur in this world—which emanate from the working of opposing causes and varying forces—are original events. They are results of an alteration or a new course of the divine will (called badāʾ). Yet, above the opposing causes and varying wills which constantly conflict with one another, there is a single cause and will which governs them all. It is the effect of that cause and will which always occurs. That [governing cause and overriding will] is what cancels one cause with another, changes what a setting entails by introducing something new, and restricts the impact of every force with something else. Imagine a traveler who decides to move on a path toward a certain destination. He launches on his journey, but after moving for a while he may stop to rest a bit. His act of stopping opposes his act of moving, and the decision to stop cancels the decision to move. However, both of them are subject to a higher will which governs them and arranges when to give priority to which. Each of these two wills—that is, the will to move and the will to stop—has its own function, which is the opposite of the other. Yet, they are both compliant to the will above them. They agree with each other in executing what the higher cause dictates to them.

Hence, we have two levels here: (1) the stage where the different causes become distinct from one another and start opposing each other; (2) the stage where all causes are united together in harmony. The former corresponds to the kursī, and the latter corresponds to the ʿarsh. Evidently ʿarsh takes precedence over kursī. Their difference is that of concision and differentiation, or hiddenness and appearance.

In fact, ʿarsh and kursī are suitable matches for these two stations because of the specific qualities of a king’s ʿarsh and kursī. Kursī denotes the seat of a king’s officers and agents who execute his commands. Each of them decides about a certain aspect of the nation based on their discretion. That is why sometimes one office or “chair” (kursī) comes into conflict with another, in which case one must be given priority over the other. That is where one directive abrogates another (called naskh). Nevertheless, all offices are unanimous in obeying the commands of the royal throne (ʿarsh) which is the highest authority. The king’s ruler is secure from the level of conflicting forces, and is never abrogated by the lower offices and agents. The king’s throne includes an inward, hidden and undifferentiated form of all the details that shall appear through the hands of the lower offices and agents.

This should clarify the meaning of “Kursī is the outward gate of the unseen.” “It is the starting point of all original things”: This refers to the creation of beings and events without a previous like. “And all beings emanate from it”: This refers to the details of creation and the wide range of particulars.

(v) “ʿArsh is the inward gate”: as opposed to kursī, which is the outward gate. The former represents the stage of hiddenness, and the latter represents the state of appearance. They differ in terms of how differentiated and particularized are the laws which issue from them.

(vi) “ʿArsh… comprises of the knowledge of…”: That is, it comprises of every kind of knowledge. It includes a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of all particulars in a concise and undifferentiated form.

(vii) “The knowledge of quality (kayf), existence (kawn), measure (qadr), limit (ḥadd), place (ayn), decree (mashiyyah), quality of will (ṣifat al-irādah), terms (alfāẓ), movements (ḥarakāt), withdrawal (tark), origin and return.” Apparently kayf (quality, lit. how) here refers to how things come to existence, which means the existential causes of things. Kawn (existence, creation) means the entire being (wujūd) of things. “Origin and return” refer to the beginning of the existence of things and their end. Qadr (measure) and ḥadd (limit) are synonymous, with the difference that qadr signifies the absolute size of something in and of itself, while ḥadd refers to the relative boundaries of something, which prevent external elements from entering its territory and mixing with it. Ayn (place, location, position) means the spatial property of an object. Mashiyyah (decree, providence, will, volition) and ṣifat al-irādah (quality of will, property of volition) are the same thing. It could be that the former refers to will in general, while the latter refers to a specific will [after it is determined and particularized].

“Knowledge of terms” is the knowledge of how terms (alfāẓ) signify meanings and how they relate to the external world by nature (ṭabʿ), because even the conventional significance of terms trace back to a natural root. “Knowledge of ḥarakāt (movements, motions) and tark (withdrawal, abstention, abandonment)” refers to the relationship between one’s essence and the acts that one commits or abstains from. It could also be that these three points—“knowledge of terms, movements and withdrawals”—together refer to knowing about how commands and prohibitions are mentally abstracted and constructed from external actions and inactions. That means the knowledge of how words stem from realities that are all rooted in the same source. Tark means “relative stillness as opposed to movement.”

(viii) “Because one comprises of the knowledge of modality and quality”: This refers to the ʿarsh (Throne). “And the other comprises of the outward gates of badāʾ (origination, lit. appearance)”: This refers to the kursī (Pedestal). Badāʾ (alteration) means “the appearance of one cause on top of another, where the second cause cancels the effect of the first.” This is applicable to all different causes and forces at work in the universe [in the sense that there is a persistent interaction and interference between them].

(ix) “Thus they are adjacent to one another; one conveys the meaning of the other interchangeably.” The hadith describes ʿarsh and kursī as “compatible neighbors.” In fact, they are really of the same reality, and their difference is only in terms of concision [in the case of ʿarsh] and differentiation [in the case of kursī] (ijmāl wa tafṣīl). The narration literally says, “one of them carries the other in ṣarf,” which means that “carrying” is used as a figure of speech, or as an alternative expression. Indeed, the scholars illustrate subtle and intricate teachings through analogies and examples: “This is how the scholars use various expressions.”

(x) “And [this expression is used] so that the scholars may deduce the proof for what is claimed about the two.” “The two” are the ʿarsh and the kursī. The meaning is: “This way of expression [that one carries the other] is used so that the scholars may verify the truth of the teachings that they receive through revelation. This way they can discern how God’s direction of the affairs of the world issues through the two stations of concision and differentiation, or hiddenness and appearance.” The reader should reflect on this.

7. Once Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked about the verse: and His Throne was [then] upon the waters (). He said, “What do others say about it?”

He was told, “[They say that] The Throne was on waters and the Lord was on it.”

The Imam said, “That is not true. Whoever supposes this, is saying that God is borne [by something else] and is describing God by the qualities of His creation. This entails that there is something stronger than God because there is something that bears Him.”

Then he added, “[The verse means that] God carried His religion and knowledge on the waters—and that is before the existence of the heaven, the earth, the jinn, the humankind, the sun and the moon.”

Author’s comment: This hadith is similar to the last in that it also interprets the Throne as knowledge. “Water” symbolizes the origin of creation. That was the object of God’s active knowledge before the beings appeared in their differentiated and particular forms.

8. Once Imam ʿAlī was asked about the distance between the earth and the Throne. He said: It is a servant’s sincere utterance of “There is no god but God” (lā ilāh illā Allāh).

Author’s comment: This is a subtle reply from the Imam, which he deduced from the verse: To Him ascends the good word, and He elevates righteous conduct ().

What is meant by this hadith is that if a servant denies the divinity of everything else, and exclusively ascribes divinity and independence in existence to God, then one will necessarily forget all other than Him. The sole focus and attention of such a servant will be completely directed at the station where everything depends on God, and that is the very station of the divine Throne, as we explained above.

A similarly subtle narration from the Imam is: “Once he was asked about the distance between the earth and the heaven. He replied, ‘It is the distance that the eye can see, and the prayer of the oppressed.’”

9. Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked, “Why is the Kaʿbah called Kaʿbah?”

“Because it is a square (mukaʿʿab).”

“Why is it a square?”

“Because it represents al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr (the Frequented House), which is square.”

“Why is al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr square?”

“Because it represents the Throne, which is square.”

“Why is the Throne square?”

“Because the foundations of Islam are four words: (1) subḥān Allāh (glory be to God); (2) al-ḥamd li-llāh (praise be to God); (3) lā ilāh illā Allāh (there is no god but God); and (4) Allāh akbar (God is greater).”

Author’s comment: The first of these words is a description of God through negation [of privative qualities]. The second is a description of Him through affirmation [of positive qualities]. The third is a declaration of His oneness, which combines the previous two. The fourth is the highest stage of monotheism, which is exclusively found in Islam. It says that God is greater than all description, because every attribute necessitates some definition and qualification, while He is greater than being delimited by any limit or qualified by any qualification. We had a discussion on this under the verse: Certainly they have disbelieved, those who say, “Allah is the third [person] of a trinity”… ().

Overall, this hadith also reduces to the idea that the Throne is God’s knowledge, as we explained. There is a wide variety of narrations to this effect. Here are three examples: (i) It is narrated that Āyat al-Kursī [], the end of Sūrah al-Baqarah [], and Sūrah al-Ḥamd are from the treasures of the Throne. (ii) It is narrated that Ṣād [the name of Chapter 38] is a spring which diffuses from a leg of the Throne. (iii) It is narrated that “the manifest horizon” (al-ufuq al-mubīn) [mentioned in verse ] is a field right in front of the Throne, with rivers that are supplied by as many glasses as the stars [or rivers which fill as many glasses as the stars].

10. Once Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked about the verse, Nūn. By the Pen (). He said: God created the Pen (qalam) from a tree in paradise called al-Khuld (lit. the everlasting). Then He commanded a river in paradise, “Be ink!” Thus it solidified. It was whiter than snow and sweeter than honey. Then He commanded the Pen, “Write!”

The Pen inquired, “What shall I write, my Lord?”

“Write whatever has been and whatever shall be until the Day of Resurrection.” The Pen wrote on a scroll that was whiter than silver and clearer than ruby (yāqūt). Then He rolled it and stored it in the base of the Throne. Then He sealed the mouth of the Pen, making it never speak thereafter. That is “the Hidden Book” (al-kitāb al-maknūn), from which all books [of deeds and events] are copied…

Author’s comment: We shall present the rest of this hadith in Sūrah Nūn, if God wills. There are other narrations to this effect. In some of them, the narrator asks the Imam for further clarification and insists on it. Then the Imam explains, “The Pen (qalam) is an angel, and the Tablet (lawḥ) is an angel.” This shows that what is stated in these narrations is a symbolic language, intended to make the meaning more tangible and comprehensible. They provide a concrete and physical representation of something that is abstract and immaterial.

11. Imam al-Ṣādiq narrated from his father [Imam al-Bāqir], from his grandfather [Imam al-Sajjād]: “In the Throne there is an image of everything that God has created in the land or the sea.” Then he [Imam al-Sajjād, or Imam al-Ṣādiq] said, “This is the taʾwīl (interpretation, underlying reality) of the verse: There is not a thing but that its sources are with Us, and We do not send it down except in a known measure ().”

Author’s comment: What is meant by the taʾwīl of the verse is an underlying reality behind the expression of the verse. That reality is the existence of the forms and images of all things in the Throne. We already explained what this means. A similar idea is narrated concerning the meaning of the supplication, “O He Who exposes what is fair” (yā man aẓhar al-jamīl).

12. In the same narration, the Imam [al-Sajjād or al-Ṣādiq] says: Between each legs of the Throne is a distance of a thousand years of flight by a fast-flying bird. Every day the Throne is covered with seventy thousand colors of light that no one of God’s creatures can bear looking at. With respect to the Throne, all beings put together are like a single ring cast in a vast plain

Author’s comment: The last part is also narrated from the Prophet through both Shia and Sunni chains of transmission. This narration is again a symbolic expression [which should not be taken literally], much like many other narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt. One proof for this is that no matter how we calculate the greatness described here [based on the flight of a fast-flying bird], there are lightyear distances in the physical world which exceed that by several orders of magnitude [which would contradict the last part of the hadith]. Therefore, the Imam’s description is rather meant to make an immaterial and transcendent meaning more tangible and immanent.

13. Imam al-Riḍā said: The reason behind circumambulating the House [of God] pertains to when God said to the angels, “Indeed I am going to set a viceroy on the earth,” they said, “Will You set in it someone who will cause corruption in it, and shed blood?” (). The angels realized that they sinned by challenging God. Filled with remorse, they took refuge in the Throne and asked forgiveness from God. That is how God loved His servants to worship Him, so He placed a house in the fourth heaven which maps onto the Throne, called al-Ḍurāḥ (the Distanced House). Then he placed a house in the lowest heaven which maps onto al-Ḍurāḥ, called al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr (the Frequented House). Then he placed the House [of Kaʿbah on the earth] which maps onto al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr, and ordered Adam to circumambulate it. Thus this [practice] was established in his descendants until the Day of Resurrection…

Author’s comment: There are certain peculiarities with this hadith which must be clarified:

i) Based on the interpretation of the Throne as God’s knowledge, the meaning of the angel’s recourse to the Throne is that they acknowledged their ignorance and deferred the matter to God’s knowledge. This is what the Qur’an says: They said, “Immaculate are You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise” (). We discussed this story in Sūrah al-Baqarah.

ii) The narration mentions two places in the heavens: al-Ḍurāḥ and al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr. However, most narrations only refer to al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr in the fourth heaven.

iii) The narration states that the angels sinned, whereas they are infallible according to the explicit text of the Qur’an. Perhaps what is meant by “realizing their sin” is “realizing some deficiency and imperfection in themselves.”

iv) Clearly what is meant by the Kaʿbah “mapping onto” al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr is a spiritual correspondence, not a physical one. This can be confirmed by the use of the same expression in describing the relation between al-Ḍurāḥ in the fourth heaven and the Throne. What we understand from the Qur’an and hadith is that the ʿarsh (Throne) and the kursī (Pedestal) encompass the heavens and the earth. Based on this notion, it does not make sense to speak of physical muḥādhāh (mapping, parallelism, correspondence) if one object is completely encircled by another.

14. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: One of the bearers of the Throne is in the form of a human; he asks God to provide for the children of Adam. A second bearer is in the form of a rooster; it asks God to provide for the birds. A third bearer is in the form of a lion; it asks God to provide for the predators. A fourth bearer is in the form of an ox; it asks God to provide for the cattle. The ox has lowered its head [in embarrassment] ever since the Children of Israel worshiped the calf. Upon the Day of Resurrection, their number will increase to eight [bearers].

Author’s comment: There are very many narrations similar to this. There is also one which mentions that there are four bearers for the kursī (Pedestal). That is the only narration—that I have come across—which says that the kursī has bearers as well. We presented it under Āyat al-Kursī in Sūrah al-Baqarah [].

15. There is a narration which says: There are eight bearers of the Throne: four from the earlier ones, and four from the later ones. The four from the earlier ones are Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The four from the later ones are Muḥammad, ʿAlī, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn.

Author’s comment: Based on the interpretation of the Throne as God’s knowledge, there is no contradiction between having four angels as the bearers of the Throne, and also having other bearers.

There are indeed many narrations concerning the Throne which are quite diverse. Their variety confirms the idea that the Throne represents God’s knowledge [of all events and beings, clustered in an undifferentiated form], as we explained. Some narrations may suggest that the Throne is a physical reality, but they should be interpreted in light of what we said above [that they are symbolic representations to make the meaning more tangible and comprehensible]. There is no reliable narration which says that the Throne is a physical body in the form of a couch, placed on the seventh heaven. Rather, this is rejected by some narrations, such as hadith 4 above.

16. Concerning Who created the heavens and the earth in six days () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: In six periods (awqāt).
17. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-Armanī says: I asked Imam Abū Muḥammad al-ʿAskarī, “Teach me about these words of God: All command belongs to Allah, before and after ().”

He said, “All command belongs to God before He commands and after He commands, as He wills.”

I said to myself, “This is the interpretation of the verse: Look! All creation and command belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all nations ().”

Then the Imam turned to me and said, “Yes, it is indeed as you said in your heart: Look! All creation and command belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all nations ().”

Author’s comment: This means that the statement Look! All creation and command belong to Him () states that God is in charge of the affairs both before and after He decrees something. It is not like us who have control only before we make a verdict, but afterwards we are no longer in charge.

18. The Messenger of God said: If one does not praise God for any good deed that he does, but praises himself instead, he has disbelieved [or has been ungrateful] and has destroyed his deed. If one thinks that God has given anything of the amr (command, matter, affairs) to the servants, he has disbelieved in what God has revealed to His prophets, because He says: Look! All creation and command belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all nations ().

Author’s comment: Complacency (ʿujb) [about one’s deeds] can be equated to kufr in two ways [based on the two definitions of kufr]: (1) It entails ungratefulness for God’s blessings [to do righteous deeds]. (2) It implies disbelieving that good deeds belong to God. In the second part of the hadith, the idea that “nothing of the amr is left to the servants” refers to their independent possession and command of things. It does not deny people’s subordinate control over their deeds and affairs as a result of God’s endowment and conferment.

19. Once Imam al-Bāqir was asked about the verse: And do not cause corruption on the earth after its restoration (). He said: The earth was corrupt, but God revived it with His Prophet. So do not cause corruption on the earth after its restoration ().
20. The Messenger of God said: The case of the guidance and knowledge with which God has sent me can be compared to a heavy rain that falls on a region which consists of two parts: pure fields which absorb the water and grow lush vegetation and pastures; and hard fields which keep the water [on the ground], where people can take from it to drink and water their fields. It also falls on another region which consists of sterile deserts that neither hold the water nor grow any vegetation. The first is an example of those who achieve deep understanding (fiqh) in God’s religion, who benefit from what God has sent me with, who learn it themselves and teach it to others. The second is an example of those who do not raise their heads, and do not accept the guidance which I have been sent with.

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1. This is based on the Ptolemaic system which was integrated into neo-Platonic cosmology, all of which later composed the foundation of Islamic philosophy. It was thought that the material world consists of nine concentric firmaments or spheres (called aflāk) which are superimposed on each other. The highest of these, the ninth firmament, is a starless sphere called falak al-aṭlas. The one right below it, the eighth firmament, was the sphere of fixed stars, called falak al-thawābit. (Trans.) ↩︎

2. In other words, God’s authority over something is based on Him being the source of existence of that thing, while human authority is based on social contract. (Trans.) ↩︎

3. “Form” (ṣurah) here does not mean a mental image that is conceived by the intellect. Rather, it is meant in its ontological sense, as an undifferentiated stage of existence of something, where it is not yet attached to matter. (Trans.) ↩︎

4. The verb yughshī is ditransitive, where its direct object is “that which is covered” and its indirect object is the cover. Either object may come first. Therefore the verse can also be translated as: “He covers the night with the day,” which is arguably more apparent. Both the verse and the author have used masculine pronouns for day and night, which makes it difficult to discern the intended order. The idea that night is the cover can be confirmed with the verse: And a sign for them is the night, which We strip of daylight (). The author’s subsequent exposition seems to support this interpretation. (Trans.) ↩︎

5. That is, they are manṣūb in terms of inflection: al-shamsa wa al-qamara wa al-nujūma. (Trans.) ↩︎

6. That is: “The world is made subservient because of His command, through His command, or by means of His command.” (Trans.) ↩︎

7. That is, they are recited as marfūʿ in terms of inflection: al-shamsu wa al-qamaru wa al-nujūmu. The meaning would be: “And the sun, the moon and the stars are all subservient to His command.” (Trans.) ↩︎

8. The inherent ambiguity in the word taqdīr, and the complexity of the context, both make it impossible to come up with a single English equivalent for the term. “Measurement” is accurate literally, while “determination,” “design” and “arrangement” are more pertinent contextually. To put it more simply, khalq can be compared with sewing a garment, where the tailor measures, cuts and arranges the different parts of a dress according to an initial plan. This illustration should make tangible what the author means in the following lines. Taqdīr means “defining the limits of something,” which is a way of giving identity to something and bringing it to existence. Thus the relationship between taqdīr and khalq (creation): the meaning of creation (khalq) is definition (taqdīr). Therefore, “creation ex nihilo” does not mean “turning nothing into something” because that is arguably nonsensical and impossible. What is nihil prior to creation is the particular definition and determination of the object, not its existence. Hence, the proper meaning of khalq—or creation ex nihilo—is the delineation of the existence—which already is—into a particular definition and measure. This means that khalq is not the creation of “existence” (wujūd), but the creation of “quiddity” (māhiyyah). In simpler words, existence is not created, but definitions are created. Incidentally, this etymological analysis of khalq also has metaphysical significance based on the theory of emanation (ifāḍah). In the first stage, God’s effusion unfolds as formless and unbounded existence (called al-wujūd al-munbasiṭ), which can be compared to an extended fabric. Then it is determined and delimited into various forms and shapes, which gives rise to multiplicity. This determination of the universal into the particular is based on God’s eternal knowledge and plan, which includes all particulars in an undifferentiated form (called permanent archetypes, al-aʿyān al-thābitah). (Trans.) ↩︎

9. Ījād and wujūd differ only in terms of perspective or relation, not in terms of their reality and essence. The former is from the standpoint of the subject (the donor of existence), while the latter is from the standpoint of the object (the recipient of existence). Ījād means “giving existence”; wujūd means “finding existence.” (Trans.) ↩︎

10. As mentioned above, the first sense of amr is synonymous with shaʾn (affair, status, case, issue, condition). The long string of words in brackets shows that amr translates differently based on context. It can be compared to the word “thing” which is general and vague enough to accommodate numerous possibilities. The first sense of amr, in light of its usage in the Qur’an, can best be translated as “matter,” in all its ambiguity. Nevertheless, the context always makes it very clear what “matter” is meant in the verse. The word is often used in the definite form—like “the matter” (al-amr), “God’s matter” or “His matter” (amrihi, amruhu), or otherwise in the indefinite form—“a matter” or “some matter” (used with tanwīn)—but with sufficient contextual evidence that clarifies the import. In fact, the second sense of amr (command, order) can also be reduced to the first sense. The second sense is specifically applicable when the Qur’an attributes amr to God (amr Allāh). Given all of the usages of the term in the Qur’an, “God’s amr” means “God’s thing,” which, based on the context, can mean “God’s decree,” “God’s decision,” “God’s plan,” “God’s act” and so on. It is used equivocally in order to emphasize its ascription to God. Therefore, when the Qur’an says, “God’s amr,” “His amr” or “Our amr,” it is not the word amr which is of primary significance, but the fact that it is something from the divine. This is the most apparent and the least contrived interpretation of the word amr as used in the Qur’an. A review of all usages of the term in the Qur’an would prove this and remove any doubts about it. In the current verse of discussion (), the contradistinction between khalq and amr shows that they signify the origin of the universe and its continuation. That is, amr here means the direction of affairs (tadbīr), which is represented by the Throne, as the author has pointed out. (Trans.) ↩︎

11. That is, nothing is self-sufficient in the world of creation, whether in terms of its being or in terms of its doings. (Trans.) ↩︎

12. Muqaddar here means “defined, delineated and determined.” (Trans.) ↩︎

13. Based on sababiyyah, the meaning would be: “The event occurs because of God’s command, or through His command.” Based on muṣāḥabah, the meaning would be: “The event occurs with God’s command”; that is, “It occurs while it is in company of God’s command.” Both reduce to the same meaning effectively: “God’s command (amr) is what brings the event to existence.” (Trans.) ↩︎

14. In the original text of al-Mīzān, the author’s quote here is a mix of verses and , which seems to be a mistake. Verse provides a more explicit expression of the two stages of creation and command: Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then settled on the Throne, directing the command. (Trans.) ↩︎

15. In verse , “Hour” (sāʿah) is a feminine noun, used with the masculine adjective “near” (qarīb). (Trans.) ↩︎

16. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Mardawayh and al-Lālikaʾī’s al-Sunnah. ↩︎

17. This was a title of the archbishop of Christians in Muslim lands. (Trans.) ↩︎

18. Al-Tawḥīd, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Salmān al-Fārsī. ↩︎

19. “That” refers to “the Throne” in verse . The author explains what this means below. (Trans.) ↩︎

20. Al-Kāfī, on the authority of al-Barqī, via an unconnected chain of transmission (marfūʿ). ↩︎

21. That is, in verse , Throne means God’s knowledge of other beings. (Trans.) ↩︎

22. See the author’s discussion of narrations under verses and . (Trans.) ↩︎

23. The author explains these terms below. (Trans.) ↩︎

24. Al-Tawḥīd, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

25. The author’s discussion here pertains to the realm of temporal events, where one cause may come after another and cancel its effect. At a higher level of discussion, we can say that all of God’s creation—including the dimension of time and the non-temporal realms—is a single whole which is a manifestation of God without a previous example. That is what makes the world of existence original (badīʿ). The hadith also talks about original things coming from the kursī, which is the outward gate that opens from the unseen to the visible world. This suggests that they are original in their entirety because the temporal world as a whole is an original emanation from the kursī, not in the sense that each individual event is an example of badāʾ (alteration) within the temporal world. (Trans.) ↩︎

26. This is existential precedence, in the arc of descent of the creation. (Trans.) ↩︎

27. The literal definition and usage of the terms would also confirm this. ʿArsh (throne) means a large, elegant and elevated couch. Typically, it is exclusively used for the highest authority in a nation—the king. Kursī is used for more ordinary chairs and has a wider range of applications, which includes the seat of lower officers and regional rulers. (Trans.) ↩︎

28. This is a rather mysterious idea, which the author has not elaborated any further. It is reminiscent of what Sri Aurobindo calls “the soul of the body of sound.” See his discussion in The Future Poetry (Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 1997), p. 289. ↩︎

29. This is a technical definition of badāʾ as discussed in Shia theology and mentioned in narrations from the Imams. Badāʾ can also be interpreted in its common and non-technical sense as the initial creation and appearance of things. (Trans.) ↩︎

30. This and the next part are based on the author’s reading of the hadith, which differs slightly from my translation above. (Trans.) ↩︎

31. Al-Tawḥīd, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

32. God’s knowledge is classified into essential (dhātī) and active (fiʿlī). The former is His knowledge of His essence, irrespective of the existence or non-existence of other beings. The latter is His knowledge of His acts, where His actions (including everything that He has created) are known to Him by presential knowledge. (Trans.) ↩︎

33. Al-Iḥtijāj. ↩︎

34. The second part means that the prayer of the oppressed will reach the sky, meaning that it will be answered by God. The first part shows that the question could be meant either physically or spiritually. It implies that one (living at that time) should not seek anything more than this as a physical measure. All that aside, this is also worthy of reflection: “Is there really any distance between the earth and the heaven?” (Trans.) ↩︎

35. Al-Ṣadūq’s Man lā yaḥḍuruhu al-faqīh, al-Majālīs (al-Amālī) and ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ. ↩︎

36. See volume 11, pp. 105ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

37. Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Aqṣar. ↩︎

38. Rawḍat al-wāʿiẓīn. ↩︎

39. This is based on the author’s specific definition of taʾwīl based on its usage in the Qur’an, as discussed under verse above and verse . See volume 5, pp. 63ff of the English translation. Meanwhile, taʾwīl is often used in a more general sense in the narrations from the Imams. They used taʾwīl interchangeably with tafsīr (interpretation), as commonly understood by the people. When a term has a conventional meaning that is widely understood and commonly used by the people, the Imams would employ it in the same sense primarily. In such cases, assuming and imposing the specific Qur’anic sense of the term entails an unnecessary restriction of meaning. (Trans.) ↩︎

40. This, again, is the idea that the Throne is a station of God’s eternal knowledge of all things in an undifferentiated form, before their appearance as particular and determined entities in the visible world. (Trans.) ↩︎

41. Rawḍat al-wāʿiẓīn. ↩︎

42. ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Sinān. ↩︎

43. See volume 1, pp. 104ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

44. See verses , , , , . (Trans.) ↩︎

45. What is meant by “the heavens and the earth” is the entire physical world, or perhaps also the immaterial realms and beings. (Trans.) ↩︎

46. Al-Khiṣāl. ↩︎

47. See volume 4, pp. 155-156 of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

48. This is not a hadith, but it is mentioned in Tafsīr al-Qummī. (Trans.) ↩︎

49. That is, narrations which mention the number of bearers do not limit the number to that amount. In other words, they affirm but do not negate. (Trans.) ↩︎

50. That is, He has absolute authority to command as He wills, and has absolute authority to alter it afterwards. He is not subject to the passage of time. (Trans.) ↩︎

51. Tafsīr al-burhān, on the authority of the author of Thāqib al-manāqib, via its chain of narration up to Abū Hāshim al-Jaʿfarī. ↩︎

52. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Jarīr, on the authority of ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Shāmī, on the authority of his father who was a Companion of the Prophet. ↩︎

53. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Muyassir. This is also narrated from Imam al-Ṣādiq in Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, on the authority of Muyassir, via an incomplete chain of transmission (mursal). ↩︎

54. That is, they pay no attention to God’s revelation. Alternatively, “The second is an example of those who are not elevated by that whatsoever,” meaning those who have no growth in knowledge and spirituality despite receiving God’s revelation. (Trans.) ↩︎

55. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Aḥmad, al-Bukhārī, Muslim and al-Nasāʾī, on the authority of Abū Mūsá. ↩︎