25:2 Al-Furqaan (The Criterion)

{ الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ْ} أى: له التصرف فيهما وحده، وجميع من فيهما مماليك وعبيد له مذعنون لعظمته خاضعون لربوبيته، فقراء إلى رحمته الذي { لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ ْ} وكيف يكون له ولد أو شريك وهو المالك وغيره مملوك، وهو القاهر وغيره مقهور وهو الغني بذاته من جميع الوجوه، والمخلوقون مفتقرون إليه فقرا ذاتيا من جميع الوجوه؟\" وكيف يكون له شريك في الملك ونواصي العباد كلهم بيديه، فلا يتحركون أو يسكنون ولا يتصرفون إلا بإذنه فتعالى الله عن ذلك علوا كبيرا، فلم يقدره حق قدره من قال فيه ذلك ولهذا قال: { وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ْ} شمل العالم العلوي والعالم السفلي من حيواناته ونباتاته وجماداته، { فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيرًا ْ} أي: أعطى كل مخلوق منها ما يليق به ويناسبه من الخلق وما تقتضيه حكمته من ذلك، بحيث صار كل مخلوق لا يتصور العقل الصحيح أن يكون بخلاف شكله وصورته المشاهدة، بل كل جزء وعضو من المخلوق الواحد لا يناسبه غير محله الذي هو فيه. قال تعالى: { سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى الَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّى وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَى ْ} وقال تعالى: { رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَى ْ} ولما بين كماله وعظمته وكثرة إحسانه كان ذلك مقتضيا لأن يكون وحده المحبوب المألوه المعظم المفرد بالإخلاص وحده لا شريك له ناسب أن يذكر بطلان عبادة ما سواه .

وهكذا قال ههنا "الذي له ملك السموات والأرض ولم يتخذ ولدا ولم يكن له شريك في الملك" ونزه نفسه عن الولد وعن الشريك ثم أخبر أنه "خلق كل شيء فقدره تقديرا" أي كل شيء مما سواه مخلوق مربوب وهو خالق كل شيء وربه ومليكه وإلهه وكل شيء تحت قهره وتدبيره وتسخيره وتقديره.

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Blessed be Allah

Here Allah praises Himself for the Noble Qur'an He has revealed to His noble Messenger . This is like the Ayat:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَـبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُ عِوَجَا قَيِّماً لِّيُنْذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّـلِحَاتِ

(All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His servant the Book, and has not placed therein any crookedness. (He has made it) straight to give warning of a severe punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the believers, who do righteous deeds...) 18:1-2 Here Allah says:

تَبَارَكَ

(Blessed be He.) The verbal form used here implies an ongoing, permanent, eternal blessing.

الَّذِى نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ

(Who sent down the criterion) The verb Nazzala is a form which implies something done a great deal and often. This is like the Ayah:

وَالْكِتَـبِ الَّذِى نَزَّلَ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَـبِ الَّذِى أَنَزلَ مِن قَبْلُ

(And the Book which He (Nazzala) sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He (Anzala) sent down to those before (him)) (4:136). Each of the previous Books was sent down at one time, but the Qur'an was revealed gradually, in stages, Ayat after Ayat, rulings after rulings, Surahs after Surahs. This is more eloquent and indicative of greater care for the one to whom it is revealed, as Allah says later in this Surah:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوْلاَ نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْءَانُ جُمْلَةً وَحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلاً - وَلاَ يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلاَّ جِئْنَـكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيراً

(And those who disbelieve say: "Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at once" Thus, that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages. And no example or similitude do they bring, but We reveal to you the truth, and the better explanation thereof.) (25:32-33) This Surah was named Al-Furqan, because it is the criterion that decides between truth and falsehood, guidance and misguidance, right and wrong, lawful and unlawful.

عَلَى عَبْدِهِ

(to His servant) This description is one of praise and commendation, because here Allah is connecting him to Himself, describing him as His servant. Allah also described him in this manner when referring to the noblest of events, the Night of the Isra', as He said:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً

(Glorified be He Who took His servant for a journey by night) (17:1). Allah also described him in this way when He described how he stood and called to Him:

وَأَنَّهُ لَّمَا قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُواْ يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَداً

(And when the servant of Allah stood up invoking Him in prayer they (the Jinn) just made round him a dense crowd as if sticking one over the other (in order to listen to the Prophet's recitation).) (72:19) This description is also used here when Allah describes how the Book is revealed to him and how the angel comes down to him:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِى نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـلَمِينَ نَذِيراً

(Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion to His servant that he may be a warner to all nations.)

لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـلَمِينَ نَذِيراً

(that he may be a warner to all nations.) means, he alone has been blessed with this great, detailed, clear Book which,

لاَّ يَأْتِيهِ الْبَـطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلاَ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ تَنزِيلٌ مِّنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ

(Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allah).) (41:42) The One Who made it the mighty criterion, singled him out to convey it to those who seek the shade of trees and to those who live on the land (i.e., to all of mankind, nomad and settled alike), as the Prophet said:

«بُعِثْتُ إِلَى الْأَحْمَرِ وَالْأَسْوَد»

(I have been sent to the red and the black.) And he said:

«إِنِّي أُعْطِيتُ خَمْسًا لَمْ يُعْطَهُنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ قَبْلِي»

(I have been given five things which no Prophet before me was given. ) Among them he mentioned:

«كَانَ النَّبِيُّ يُبْعَثُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ خَاصَّةً وَبُعِثْتُ إِلَى النَّاسِ عَامَّة»

(Before me a Prophet was sent only to his own people, but I have been sent to all of mankind.) And Allah says:

قُلْ يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا

(Say: "O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah...") (7:158), meaning, the One Who has sent me is the Sovereign of the heaven and the earth, who merely says to a thing "Be!" and it is. He is the one who gives life and causes death. Allah says here:

الَّذِى لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَداً وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِى المُلْكِ

(He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Who has begotten no son and for Whom there is no partner in the dominion.) Allah states that He is above having any offspring or partner. Then He tells us:

خَـلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍفَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيراً

(He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements.) meaning, everything apart from Him is created and subject to Him. He is the Creator, Lord, Master and God of all things, and everything is subject to His dominion, control and power.

He to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and Who has not taken a son nor has He any partner in sovereignty; and He created everything which was meant to be created and then determined it in a precise measure He fashioned it in a balanced form.

Special Wisdom in every creation

فَقَدَّرَ‌هُ تَقْدِيرً‌ا (And designed it in a perfect measure - 25:2): Here تَقْدِير‌ (designing in a perfect measure) is mentioned after تخلِیق (Creation). تخلِیق means to create something from nothing that is to bring in something without any pre-existing substance whatsoever. And (designed in a perfect measure) means that, whatever has been created, its components, appearance, properties and signs are made to suit the purpose of its creation. The form of the sky, its constituents and its shape are in conformity to that purpose for which Allah Ta’ ala has created it. Similarly, the stars and planets possess those qualities for which they are created. Whatever we see on the earth is absolutely perfect in its form, shape and construction to suit the purpose and requirement of its creation. For instance, earth is not made in such a liquid form, that anything put on it is drowned, nor is it made too hard like steel or concrete to be dug. It is made in the solid form and given a Hardness that it could be dug to take out underground water or to place foundations for the buildings. Water is given the liquid form which again is full of Divine Wisdom and helps meet the multifarious needs of the creatures spread all over the earth. Water does not reach on its own at all the places where it is needed. Man has to put in some skill and labour to take it to places where it is required. On the other hand air is a compulsory gift which reaches every place without any labour or an active role from human beings. Even if someone wants to avoid it, he has to exert extra labour. It is not the place to describe Divine creations and their characteristics as it needs volumes for the purpose. Each and every creation of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ ala is perfect in its purpose and has its own peculiar properties and traits. Imam Ghazzali has written a book on the subject by the name الحکمۃ فی مخلوقات اللہ تعالیٰ .

These verses define the sacred and exalted position of the Holy Qur’ an and by addressing the person on whom the book is revealed as عَبدَہ (His slave) in the very beginning of the Surah, his honoured position is highlighted. There cannot be a greater honour for any one than to be called by Allah Ta’ ala as 'His own'..