30:54 Ar-Room (The Romans)

يخبر تعالى عن سعة علمه وعظيم اقتداره وكمال حكمته، ابتدأ خلق الآدميين من ضعف وهو الأطوار الأول من خلقه من نطفة إلى علقة إلى مضغة إلى أن صار حيوانا في الأرحام إلى أن ولد، وهو في سن الطفولية وهو إذ ذاك في غاية الضعف وعدم القوة والقدرة. ثم ما زال اللّه يزيد في قوته شيئا فشيئا حتى بلغ سن الشباب واستوت قوته وكملت قواه الظاهرة والباطنة، ثم انتقل من هذا الطور ورجع إلى الضعف والشيبة والهرم.{ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ } بحسب حكمته. ومن حكمته أن يري العبد ضعفه وأن قوته محفوفة بضعفين وأنه ليس له من نفسه إلا النقص، ولولا تقوية اللّه له لما وصل إلى قوة وقدرة ولو استمرت قوته في الزيادة لطغى وبغى وعتا.وليعلم العباد كمال قدرة اللّه التي لا تزال مستمرة يخلق بها الأشياء، ويدبر بها الأمور ولا يلحقها إعياء ولا ضعف ولا نقص بوجه من الوجوه.

ينبه تعالى على تنقل الإنسان في أطوار الخلق حال بعد حال فأصله من تراب ثم من نطفة ثم من علقة ثم من مضغة ثم يصير عظاما ثم تكسى العظام لحما وينفخ فيه الروح ثم يخرج من بطن أمه ضعيفا نحيفا واهن القوى ثم يشب قليلا قليلا حتى يكون صغيرا ثم حدثا ثم مراهقا ثم شابا وهو القوة بعد الضعف ثم يشرع في النقص فيكتهل ثم يشيخ ثم يهرم وهو الضعف بعد القوة فتضعف الهمة والحركة والبطش وتشيب اللمة وتتغير الصفات الظاهرة والباطنة ولهذا قال تعالى "ثم جعل من بعد قوة ضعفا وشيبة يخلق ما يشاء" أي يفعل ما يشاء ويتصرف في عبيده بما يريد "وهو العليم القدير" قال الإمام أحمد حدثنا وكيع عن فضيل ويزيد حدثنا فضيل بن مرزوق عن عطية العوفي قال: قرأت على ابن عمر "الله الذي خلقكم من ضعف ثم جعل من بعد ضعف قوة ثم جعل من بعد قوة ضعفا" فقال "الله الذي خلقكم من ضعف ثم جعل من بعد ضعف قوة ثم جعل من بعد قوة ضعفا" ثم قال قرأت على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كما قرأت علي فأخذ علي كما أخذت عليك ورواه أبو داود والترمذي وحسنه من حديث فضيل به ورواه أبو داود حديث عبدالله بن جابر عن عطية عن أبي سعيد بنحوه.

The Different Stages of Man

Here Allah points out how man passes through different stages of creation, one phase after another. He is originally created from dust, then from a Nutfah, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh. Then he becomes bones, then the bones are clothed with flesh, then the soul is breathed into him. Then he emerges from his mother's womb, weak and thin and powerless. Then he grows up little by little, until he becomes a child, then he reaches the stage of puberty, then he becomes a young man, which is strength after weakness. Then he starts to get older, reaching middle age, then old age and senility, weakness after strength, so he loses his resolve, power of movement and ability to fight, his hair turns grey and his characteristics, both inward and outward, begin to change. Allah says:

ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفاً وَشَيْبَةً يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ

(then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills.) He does whatsoever He wills and controls His servants in whatever way He wants.

وَهُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْقَدِيرُ

(And He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.)

God is the One Who created you from a state of weakness from a ‘base fluid’ cf. Q. 328 then He ordained after a second weakness which is the weakness of the period of childhood strength that is the strength of youth then after strength He appointed weakness again and grey hair the weakness of old age and the grey hairs of decrepitude read vocalised as du‘f ‘weakness’ in all three places. He creates what He will of weakness and strength youth and grey hairs and He is the Knower of how to manage His creatures the Omnipotent.

Commentary

Greater part of this Surah aims at removing the doubts of the deniers of the Hereafter. For meeting this end, many verses deal with the signs of Allah's omnipotence and His all-encompassing wisdom in order to awake people from their slumber. The first of the above-referred verses deals with the same subject in a different manner. It is pointed out that man is impetuous by nature, in the sense that he gets involved in the present so much that he forgets the past and the future. This habit leads him to many a serious problems. When he is young, his strength is at its peak, and he does not care about anyone in his over-weaning pride. He finds it difficult to remain within limits. In order to warn people, this verse has given a complete picture of the strength and weakness in human life as they come and go by. It is pointed out in the verse that the man starts his life in a state of weakness and ends it with a similar weakness. It is only in the middle of his life that he gains strength for a short period. It is in his own interest that he should keep in mind the impending weakness while he is still strong, and does not forget how he achieved strength gradually from the state of weakness.

The man is reminded of his real self in خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعْفٍ (Who created you in a state of weakness - 30:54). It means that his original base is a dirty drop of semen that has neither strength, nor sense or life. So ponder, who has turned this sickening drop into congealed blood, then into flesh and then transfixed bones into the flesh? After that, who has produced delicate machines of the limbs and organs to turn him into a mobile factory, which is supported by innumerous automatic machines. If one is to look more closely into this factory, one would notice that it is a mini-world of its own in which innumerable models of His creation are set in. The creation and bringing up of man is not brought about in a giant factory but in three dark stages in the womb of his mother. After spending nine months in the womb of mother, man ultimately takes birth to come out into this world. The Holy Qur'an says, ثُمَّ السَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَ‌هُ (Then Allah facilitated exit [ from the womb ] for him - 80:20).

When he came into this world, his condition was that وَاللَّـهُ أَخْرَ‌جَكُم مِّن بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (And Allah has brought you forth from your mothers' wombs when you knew nothing - 16:78). Then Allah made you learn so many things. The first lesson was to teach you crying, so that you could attract the attention of your parents towards you, and they should look for your needs of thirst and hunger. Then you were taught the skill to suck milk by pressing your lips and gums from your mother's breasts for your sustenance. Who else had the power to teach these two skills to an infant having no intelligence, to meet all his needs? Indeed no one else but the Power who is responsible for his creation. The infants are weak at that stage of their life. Minor exposure to cold or heat makes them sick. They can neither ask for their needs, nor can they remove any of their miseries. Right from this stage until they attain their youth, one can see in them a gradual development of life and strength - a process only Allah Ta’ ala can create and control and a clear manifestation of His omnipotence, if people could only contemplate.

ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍ (Then He created strength after weakness - 30:54). When man reaches the stage of his strength, he gets involved in showing off his powers and intelligence. He flies to reach the moon and Mars, and tries to overpower the earth and oceans. He forgets all about his past and becomes oblivious of his future, and cries out مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً (Who is stronger than us in might? - 41:15); so much so that in this state of intoxication, he even forgets his Creator and His commands. So the Nature has warned to make him realize his folly ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفًا وَشَيْبَةً (Then created weakness and old age - 30:54). 0 remiss! Be mindful of the fact that your present strength is temporary and you have to return to the same old weakness, and it will take you gradually to your grey hair. Then all your limbs and organs will change their shape and form. You need not go through any books and the history of the world, but look into your own concealed self, and you will be left with no other option but to accept and believe that يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْقَدِيرُ‌ (He creates what He wills, and He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful - 30:54). All this control and running of affairs are by the One who creates them. He does as He pleases, and in a manner as it pleases Him. He has no parallel in knowledge and power. Knowing all this, is there any room for doubt that He can resurrect the dead whenever He likes?