39:6 Az-Zumar (The Groups)

ومن عزته أن { خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ } على كثرتكم وانتشاركم، في أنحاء الأرض، { ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا } وذلك ليسكن إليها وتسكن إليه، وتتم بذلك النعمة. { وَأَنْزَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ } أي: خلقها بقدر نازل منه، رحمة بكم. { ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ } وهي التي ذكرها في سورة الأنعام { ثمانية أزواج من الضأن اثنين ومن المعز اثنين } { ومن الإبل اثنين ومن البقر اثنين } وخصها بالذكر، مع أنه أنزل لمصالح عباده من البهائم غيرها، لكثرة نفعها، وعموم مصالحها، ولشرفها، ولاختصاصها بأشياء لا يصلح غيرها، كالأضحية والهدي، والعقيقة، ووجوب الزكاة فيها، واختصاصها بالدية.ولما ذكر خلق أبينا وأمنا، ذكر ابتداء خلقنا، فقال: { يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ خَلْقًا مِنْ بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ } أي: طورا بعد طور، وأنتم في حال لا يد مخلوق تمسكم، ولا عين تنظر إليكم، وهو قد رباكم في ذلك المكان الضيق { فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلَاثٍ } ظلمة البطن، ثم ظلمة الرحم، ثم ظلمة المشيمة، { ذَلِكُمْ } الذي خلق السماوات والأرض، وسخر الشمس والقمر، وخلقكم وخلق لكم الأنعام والنعم { اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ } أي: المألوه المعبود، الذي رباكم ودبركم، فكما أنه الواحد في خلقه وتربيته لا شريك له في ذلك، فهو الواحد في ألوهيته، لا شريك له، ولهذا قال: { لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ } بعد هذا البيان ببيان استحقاقه تعالى للإخلاص وحده إلى عبادة الأوثان، التي لا تدبر شيئا، وليس لها من الأمر شيء.

وقوله جلت عظمته "خلقكم من نفس واحدة" أي خلقكم مع اختلاف أجناسكم وأصنافكم وألسنتكم وألوانكم من نفس واحدة وهو آدم عليه الصلاة والسلام "ثم جعل منها زوجها" وهي حواء عليها السلام كقوله تعالى "يا أيها الناس اتقوا ربكم الذي خلقكم من نفس واحدة وخلق منها زوجها وبث منهما رجالا كثيرا ونساء" وقوله تعالى "وأنزل لكم من الأنعام ثمانية أزواج" أي وخلق لكم من ظهور الأنعام ثمانية أزواج وهي المذكورة في سورة الأنعام ثمانية أزواج من الضأن اثنين ومن المعز اثنين ومن الإبل اثنين ومن البقر اثنين وقوله عز وجل "يخلقكم في بطون أمهاتكم" أي قدركم في بطون أمهاتكم "خلقا من بعد خلق" يكون أحدكم أولا نطفة ثم يكون علقة ثم يكون مضغة ثم يخلق فيكون لحما وعظما وعصبا وعروقا وينفخ فيه الروح فيصير خلق آخر "فتبارك الله أحسن الخالقين". وقوله جل وعلا "في ظلمات ثلاث" يعني في ظلمة الرحم وظلمة المشيمة التي هي كالغشاوة والوقاية على الولد وظلمة البطن كذا قال ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما ومجاهد وعكرمة وأبو مالك والضحاك وقتادة والسدي وابن زيد. وقوله جل جلاله "ذلكم الله ربكم" أي هذا الذي خلق السموات والأرض وما بينهما وخلقكم وخلق آباءكم هو الرب له الملك والتصرف في جميع ذلك "لا إله إلا هو" أي الذي لا تنبغي العبادة إلا له وحده لا شريك له "فأنى تصرفون" أي فكيف تعبدون معه غيره؟ أين يذهب بعقولكم؟.

Evidence of the Power and Oneness of Allah

Allah tells us that He is the Creator of what is in the heavens and on earth, and what is between them. He is the Sovereign and Controller alternating the night and day.

يُكَوِّرُ الَّيْـلَ عَلَى النَّهَـارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّـهَارَ عَلَى الَّيْلِ

(He makes the night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night.) means, He has subjugated them and He causes them to alternate without ceasing, each seeking the other rapidly, as He says:

يُغْشِى الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا

(He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly) (7:54). This is the meaning of that which was narrated from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Qatadah, As-Suddi and others.

وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِى لأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّـى

(And He has subjected the sun and the moon. Each running for an appointed term.) means, for a period of time that is known to Allah, then it will come to an end on the Day of Resurrection.

أَلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ

(Verily, He is the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) means, beside His might, greatness and pride, He is Oft-Forgiving to those who disobey Him but then turn to Him in repentance.

خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ

(He created you (all) from a single person;) means, He created you, with all your varied races, types, languages and colors, from a single soul, who was Adam, peace be upon him.

ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا

(then made from him his wife.) who was Hawwa', peace be upon her. This is like the Ayah:

يَـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَآءً

(O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created many men and women) (4:1).

وَأَنزَلَ لَكُمْ مِّنَ الاٌّنْعَـمِ ثَمَـنِيَةَ أَزْوَجٍ

(And He has sent down for you of cattle eight pairs.) means, He has created for you from among the cattles, eight pairs. These are the ones that are mentioned in Surat Al-An`am, eight kinds -- a pair of sheep, a pair of goats, a pair of camels and a pair of oxen.

يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـتِكُـمْ

(He creates you in the wombs of your mothers,) means, He forms you in your mothers' wombs.

خَلْقاً مِّن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ

(creation after creation). Everyone of you is originally a Nutfah, then he becomes an `Alaqah, then he becomes a Mudghah, then he is created and becomes flesh and bones and nerves and veins, and the Ruh (soul) is breathed into him, and he becomes another type of creation.

فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَـلِقِينَ

(So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators) (23:14).

فِى ظُلُمَـتٍ ثَلَـثٍ

(in three veils of darkness) means, in the darkness of the womb, the darkness of the placenta which blankets and protects the child, and the darkness of the belly. This was the view of Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Abu Malik, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd.

ذَلِكُـمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّـكُمْ

(Such is Allah your Lord.) means, the One Who created the heavens and the earth and everything in between, and created you and your forefathers, is the Lord. To Him belong sovereignty and control over all of that.

لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

(La ilaha illa Huwa.) means, no one else should be worshipped except Him alone with no partner or associate.

فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ

(How then are you turned away) means, how can you worship anything besides Him What has happened to your minds

He created you from a single soul namely Adam then made from it its mate Eve; and He sent down for you of the cattle of camels cows small cattle sheep and goats eight kinds of each kind a male and a female — as He makes clear in sūrat al-An‘ām Q. 6143f.. He creates you in your mothers’ wombs creation after creation that is to say as a sperm-drop then a blood clot then a foetus in a threefold darkness that is the darkness of the belly that of the womb and that of the placenta. That is God your Lord. To Him belongs all sovereignty. There is no god except Him. Why then are you being turned away? from worshipping Him to worshipping things other than Him?

In verse 6, it was said: وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الْأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ (and sent down for you eight pairs of the cattle.). The creation of the cattle has been expressed in this verse by saying that they have been 'sent down from the skies' whereby an indication has been given that a major factor in their creation is water that is sent down from sky. Therefore, it can be said that these too were as if sent down from the skies. The noble Qur'an has used the same expression for human dress: أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا (We have sent down to you clothing - A1-A` raf, 7:26). Then, this word also appears in relation to some minerals, for instance, iron: وَأَنزَلْنَا الْحَدِيدَ j (and We sent down iron - Al-Hadid, 57:25). The purpose is to emphasize that these things were created through the intrinsic power of Allah Ta’ ala, and that they were given to human beings as His blessings. (Qurtubi)

Towards the later part of verse 6, it was said: خَلْقًا مِّن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلَاثٍ (He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, in three layers of darkness.) Here, some clues to the mysteries of Divine power that work in the creation of man have been released. First of all, it was well within the power of Allah Ta’ ala that He could have made the infant come to be created whole and complete in the womb of the mother within a single instant. But, such was the dictate of wisdom and expedient consideration that it was not done. Instead, a process of gradualness was opted for as indicated by: خَلْقًا مِّن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ (creation after creation). The purpose was to ensure that the woman in whose womb this 'mini universe' was taking shape should gradually become used to bearing its burden. Secondly, the creation of this matchless marvel of beauty and efficiency provided with hundreds of precision gadgets, hair-thin veins to carry life-blood and spiritual input was not to look like things created by common industrialists in spacious factories under glowing lights. Instead of that, this marvel of creation has reached its completion at a place shielded by three layers of darkness, a location so hidden from night that it beats all imagination. فَتَبَارَ‌كَ اللَّـهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ (glorious is Allah, the best of the Creators – Al-mu’ minun, 23:14).

He created you from one soul and then made from it its mate. He created heaven and earth and day and night to show the creatures the attribute of His power. They come to know that He is perfectly powerful, an artisan without contrivance, and they take His artisanry as evidence of His unity. He created Adam and the Adamites to make them the treasury of the secrets of Eternity and the target of the gentle favors of generosity. “I was a hidden treasure, so I loved to be recognized.” “I had an incomparable Essence and attributes, so there had to be recognizer. I had infinite majesty and beauty, so there had to be a lover. I was an ocean of mercy and forgiveness beating its waves, so there had to be an object of mercy.” The other created things had nothing to do with love, for they never saw in themselves a high aspiration. The one with high aspiration is you. The angels have straight and orderly work because there was no talk of love with them. The treasures and intimations put into the Adamic makeup were not placed in them. The ups and downs of the Adamites, their bewilderment and confounded- ness, contraction and expansion, sorrow and joy, absence and presence, togetherness and disper- sion; the drafts mixed with poison in their hands, the swords hanging over their necks-they have all these because a whiff of love's rose reached their nostrils. Passion for You turned me into a tavern-goer like this- otherwise I was safe and orderly. Abū Yazīd BasṬāmī said, “Once I was craving the wine of passion in the seclusion of 'I am the sitting companion of those who remember Me.' I was bold, and I carried a heavy load of trials for my boldness. I had tasted many drops of tribulation. I said, 'O God, Your stream is flowing-how long will I be thirsty? What sort of thirst is this that I see one cup after another? “Who has ever had a state rarer than this? I'm thirsty and clear water is flowing before me. “'Exalted of the two worlds! How often will you become hidden, how often apparent? The heart is bewildered, the spirit distracted. How long this curtaining and self-disclosing? When at last will there be the everlasting self-disclosure? O God, how long will You call and drive away? I have melted in wanting the day in which You stay.