35:1 Faatir (The Originator)

يمدح الله تعالى نفسه الكريمة المقدسة، على خلقه السماوات والأرض، وما اشتملتا عليه من المخلوقات، لأن ذلك دليل على كمال قدرته، وسعة ملكه، وعموم رحمته، وبديع حكمته، وإحاطة علمه.ولما ذكر الخلق، ذكر بعده ما يتضمن الأمر، وهو: أنه { جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا } في تدبير أوامره القدرية، ووسائط بينه وبين خلقه، في تبليغ أوامره الدينية.وفي ذكره أنه جعل الملائكة رسلا، ولم يستثن منهم أحدا، دليل على كمال طاعتهم لربهم وانقيادهم لأمره، كما قال تعالى: { لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ } ولما كانت الملائكة مدبرات بإذن اللّه، ما جعلهم اللّه موكلين فيه، ذكر قوتهم على ذلك وسرعة سيرهم، بأن جعلهم { أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ } تطير بها، فتسرع بتنفيذ ما أمرت به. { مَثْنَى وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ } أي: منهم من له جناحان وثلاثة وأربعة، بحسب ما اقتضته حكمته.{ يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ } أي: يزيد بعض مخلوقاته على بعض، في صفة خلقها، وفي القوة، وفي الحسن، وفي زيادة الأعضاء المعهودة، وفي حسن الأصوات، ولذة النغمات.{ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ } فقدرته تعالى تأتي على ما يشاؤه، ولا يستعصي عليها شيء، ومن ذلك، زيادة مخلوقاته بعضها على بعض.

قال سفيان الثوري عن إبراهيم بن مهاجر عن مجاهد عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال كنت لا أدري ما فاطر السموات والأرض حتى أتاني أعرابيان يختصمان في بئر فقال أحدهما لصاحبه أنا فطرتها أي بدأتها وقال ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أيضا "فاطر السموات والأرض" أي بديع السموات والأرض وقال الضحاك كل شيء في القرآن فاطر السموات والأرض فهو خالق السموات والأرض. وقوله تعالى: "جاعل الملائكة رسلا" أي بينه وبين أنبيائه "أولي أجنحة" أي يطيرون بها ليبلغوا ما أمروا به سريعا "مثنى وثلاث ورباع" أي منهم من له جناحان ومنهم من له ثلاثة ومنهم من له أربعة ومنهم من له أكثر من ذلك كما جاء في الحديث أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم رأى جبريل عليه السلام ليلة الإسراء وله ستمائة جناح بين كل جناحين كما بين المشرق والمغرب ولهذا قال جل وعلا "يزيد في الخلق ما يشاء إن الله على كل شيء قدير" قال السدي يزيد في الأجنحة وخلقهم ما يشاء وقال الزهري وابن جريج في قوله تعالى: "يزيد في الخلق ما يشاء" يعنى حسن الصوت رواه عن الزهري البخاري في الأدب وابن أبي حاتم في تفسيره وقرئ في الشاذ "يزيد في الحلق" بالحاء المهملة والله أعلم.

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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

The Power of Allah

Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I did not know what Fatir As-Samawati wal-Ard meant until two bedouins came to me disputing over a well. One of them said to his companion, `Ana Fatartuha,' meaning, `I started it."' Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, also said,

فَاطِرَ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

(Fatir of the heavens and the earth,) means, "The Originator of the heavens and the earth." Ad-Dahhak said, "Every time the phrase Fatir As-Samawati wal-Ard is used in the Qur'an, it means the Creator of the heavens and the earth."

جَاعِلِ الْمَلَـئِكَةِ رُسُلاً

(Who made the angels messengers) means, between Him and His Prophets.

أُوْلِى أَجْنِحَةٍ

with wings means, with which they fly to convey quickly that which they have been commanded to convey.

مَثْنَى وَثُلَـثَ وَرُبَاعَ

two or three or four. means, among them are some who have two wings, some have three and some who have four. Some have more than that, as stated in the Hadith mentioning that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw Jibril (peace be upon him) on the Night of the Isra’ with six hundred wings. Between each pair of wings was a distance like that between the east and the west. Allah says:

يَزِيدُ فِى الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَآءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(He increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things.) As-Suddi said, "He increases their wings and creates them as He wills."

Praise be to God God praises Himself with in these terms as explained at the beginning of the preceding sūrat Saba’ Originator of the heavens and the earth the One Who created them without any precedent Appointer of the angels as messengers to His prophets having wings in sets of two or three or four. He multiplies in creation in angels and other creatures what He will. Surely God has power over all things.

Commentary

As for the statement: جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُ‌سُلًا (who makes the angels messengers), it means that angels were assigned to convey the messages and injunctions of Allah Ta’ ala. From this, it is obvious that they are sent to the noble prophets (علیہم السلام) as the message-bearers or envoys of Allah. They convey the revelations and the injunctions of Allah to them. And it is also possible that the word: رسول (Rasul) used here may be denoting the sense of link at this place, that is, they become a link between Allah Ta’ ala and His universal creation out of which the noble prophets (علیہم السلام) are the superior-most. Thus, they also become an intermediary link for the transmittal of revelation from Allah Ta ala to them. Then, these very angels happen to be the means of bringing the mercy of Allah or His punishment to the universal creation.

The next statement: أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ مَّثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُ‌بَاعَ (having wings, in twos and threes and fours) means that Allah Ta’ ala has given to the angels feathered wings they can fly with. The wise consideration behind it is obvious as they traverse the distance between the heavens and the earth repeatedly, and this can become possible only when they are endowed with the necessary speed to so traverse, something that can come about in the mode of flying only:

And the words: مَّثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُ‌بَاعَ (in twos and threes and fours) are, evidently enough, numerical adjectives referring to: أَجْنِحَةٍ (wings) in the sense that the number of the feathers angels have varies from angel to angel . Some have only two wings. Others have three. Still others have four. Even the numbers mentioned here are not comprehensive, rather they are mentioned here just as an example, because it is proved by a Hadith in Sahih of Muslim that Sayyidna Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) has six hundred feathers. (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir)

Moreover, it is also possible that these three words are numerical adjectives referring to the word: رُ‌سُلًا ، (rusulan: bearers of the message) in the sense that these angels who deliver messages from Allah Ta’ ala to this world sometimes come in twos and at others in threes or fours. Once again, in this situation too, the number of four is not intended for restriction. It is there just for example because the coming of angels in a much larger number stands proved from the Qur'an itself. (Abu Hayyan in al-Bahr ul-Muhit)

The next sentence: يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ (He adds to the creation what He wills) means that Allah Ta’ ala has the power to increase whatever He wills and as much as He wills in the creation of everything He has originated. This obviously is related to: أَجْنِحَةٍ (ajnihah: wings) in that the feathers and wings of the angels are not something simply restricted to two or four in numbers, for they could be many more than these if Allah Ta’ ala so wills. Most commentators say exactly this. And Tafsir authorities Zuhri, Qatadah and others have said that this increase in creation is to be taken in its general sense which includes increase in the feathers and wings of angels as well as the increase of particular attributes in the creation of different human beings which, then, includes the beauty of form, the beauty of character, the beauty of voice and many more increased assets like these. Abu Hayyan has, in al-Bahr ul-Muhit, followed this track of explanation and said that things like good manners, beauty of figure and face, perfection of reason and intellect, politeness in discourse and similar others are all included therein. This second Tafsir proves that the beauty or perfection of anything one has is invariably a gift and blessing from Allah Ta’ ala for which one should be grateful to Him.

Praise belongs to God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who appointed the angels as messengers having wings, two, three, and four. He adds to creation as He wills. “The praise belongs to God; that which belongs to Me is the praise by which I praise Myself, not your praise. The praise that is worthy of Me is the praise that comes from Me, not that which comes from you. What would come from water and dust worthy of My exalted majesty and ever- lasting beauty? How can the description of newly arrived things find access to the Eternal? How can that which undergoes annihilation reach the subsistent Real? How can that which was not, then came to be, praise Him who always was and always will be? O Adamite, your praise is defective because of your request for pardon and forgiveness. How can the defective be suited for the Pres- ence of Exalted Majesty? A majesty that is incomparable with defect and hallowed beyond infir- mity must have the praise of the Haqiqah, and that is nothing other than praise by Me, who am the Lord. For I am the Real, and My attributes are the Haqiqah. My servant, now I bring forth praise that is worthy of Myself. You also, bring forth praise of Me worthy of yourself, in the measure of your possibility. Then I will take your metaphor and through My generosity make it accord with the Haqiqah. I will make its ruling property the ruling property of the Haqiqah. If you say 'Amen' and your words conform with My saying 'Amen,' I will forgive you your sins. So when you praise Me and your praise of Me conforms with My praise of Me, how can any imagination carry and how can any mind contain the caress and robe of honor that I will bestow upon you?” Listen while I confirm these words with their like: The Exalted Lord says, “God bears wit- ness that there is no god but He” [3:18]. Before you bore witness, He Himself bore witness, for your bearing witness is defective because of the request to attain the promise of paradise and to safeguard against the threat of hell. Moreover, your bearing witness is temporal, but His attributes are beginningless and everlasting.