40:61 Ghafir (The Forgiver)

تدبر هذه الآيات الكريمات، الدالة على سعة رحمة الله تعالى وجزيل فضله، ووجوب شكره، وكمال قدرته، وعظيم سلطانه، وسعة ملكه، وعموم خلقه لجميع الأشياء، وكمال حياته، واتصافه بالحمد على كل ما اتصف به من الصفات الكاملة، وما فعله من الأفعال الحسنة، وتمام ربوبيته، وانفراده فيها، وأن جميع التدبير في العالم العلوي والسفلي في ماضي الأوقات وحاضرها، ومستقبلها بيد الله تعالى، ليس لأحد من الأمر شىء، ولا من القدرة شيء، فينتج من ذلك، أنه تعالى المألوه المعبود وحده، الذي لا يستحق أحد من العبودية شيئًا، كما لم يستحق من الربوبية شيئًا، وينتج من ذلك، امتلاء القلوب بمعرفة الله تعالى ومحبته وخوفه ورجائه، وهذان الأمران -وهما معرفته وعبادته- هما اللذان خلق الله الخلق لأجلهما، وهما الغاية المقصودة منه تعالى لعباده، وهما الموصلان إلى كل خير وفلاح وصلاح، وسعادة دنيوية وأخروية، وهما اللذان هما أشرف عطايا الكريم لعباده، وهما أشرف اللذات على الإطلاق، وهما اللذان إن فاتا، فات كل خير، وحضر كل شر.فنسأله تعالى أن يملأ قلوبنا بمعرفته ومحبته، وأن يجعل حركاتنا الباطنة والظاهرة، خالصة لوجهه، تابعة لأمره، إنه لا يتعاظمه سؤال، ولا يحفيه نوال.فقوله تعالى: { اللَّهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ } أي: لأجلكم جعل الله الليل مظلمًا، { لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ } من حركاتكم، التي لو استمرت لضرت، فتأوون إلى فرشكم، ويلقي الله عليكم النوم الذي يستريح به القلب والبدن، وهو من ضروريات الآدمي لا يعيش بدونه، ويسكن أيضًا، كل حبيب إلى حبيبه، ويجتمع الفكر، وتقل الشواغل.{ و } جعل تعالى { النَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا } منيرًا بالشمس المستمرة في الفلك، فتقومون من فرشكم إلى أشغالكم الدينية والدنيوية، هذا لذكره وقراءته، وهذا لصلاته، وهذا لطلبه العلم ودراسته، وهذا لبيعه وشرائه، وهذا لبنائه أو حدادته، أو نحوها من الصناعات، وهذا لسفره برًا وبحرًا، وهذا لفلاحته، وهذا لتصليح حيواناته.{ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ } أي: عظيم، كما يدل عليه التنكير { عَلَى النَّاسِ } حيث أنعم عليهم بهذه النعم وغيرها، وصرف عنهم النقم، وهذا يوجب عليهم، تمام شكره وذكره، { وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ } بسبب جهلهم وظلمهم. { وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ } الذين يقرون بنعمة ربهم، ويخضعون للّه، ويحبونه، ويصرفونها في طاعة مولاهم ورضاه.

يقول تعالى ممتنا على خلقه بما جعل لهم من الليل الذي يسكنون فيه ويستريحون من حركات ترددهم في المعايش بالنهار وجعل النهار مبصرا أي مضيئا ليتصرفوا فيه بالأسفار وقطع الأقطار والتمكن من الصناعات "إن الله لذو فضل على الناس ولكن أكثر الناس لا يشكرون" أي لا يقومون بشكر نعم الله عليهم.

Signs of the Power and Oneness of Allah

Allah reminds us of His grace towards His creation in that He has given them the night in which they rest and relax from their activities so that they can go back to them for their livelihood during the day. He has given them the day with its light, so that they can undertake their journeys and engage in their business.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ

(Truly, Allah is full of bounty to mankind; yet, most of mankind give no thanks.) means, they do not express gratitude for the favors which Allah bestows upon them. Then Allah says:

ذَلِكُـمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّـكُمْ خَـلِقُ كُـلِّ شَىْءٍ لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

(That is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of all things, La ilaha illa Huwa.) means, the One Who does all of these things is Allah, the One, the Unique, the Creator of all things, besides Whom there is no other god or lord.

فَأَنَّى تُؤْفَكُونَ

(How then are you turning away) means, `how can you worship idols which cannot create anything but are themselves hand-made and carved'

كَذَلِكَ يُؤْفَكُ الَّذِينَ كَانُواْ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ

(Thus were turned away those who used to deny the Ayat of Allah) means, just as these people Quraysh were led astray by their worship of gods other than Allah, those who came before them also disbelieved and worshipped others, with no proof or evidence, but on the basis of ignorance and desires. They denied the signs and proof of Allah.

اللَّهُ الَّذِى جَعَـلَ لَكُـمُ الاٌّرْضَ قَـرَاراً

(Allah, it is He Who has made for you the earth as a dwelling place) means, `He made it stable and spread it out for you, so that you might live on it and travel about in it; He strengthened it with the mountains so that it does not shake with you.'

وَالسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً

(and the sky as a canopy,) means, `a roof covering and protecting the world.'

وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ

(and has given you shape and made your shapes good) means, `He created you in the best and most perfect form.'

وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ

(and has provided you with good and pure things.) means, of food and drink in this world. Allah states that that He is the Creator of the dwelling place and of the inhabitants and of the provision; He is the Creator and Provider, as He says in Surat Al-Baqarah:

يَـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِىْ خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ - الَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الاٌّرْضَ فِرَاشاً وَالسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَتِ رِزْقاً لَّكُمْ فَلاَ تَجْعَلُواْ للَّهِ أَندَاداً وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may have Taqwa. Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah while you know.) (2:21-22) And here Allah says, after mentioning the creation of all these things:

ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُـمْ فَتَـبَـرَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

(That is Allah, your Lord, so Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all that exists.) meaning, exalted and sanctified and glorified be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. Then He says:

هُوَ الْحَىُّ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

(He is the Ever Living, La ilaha illa Huwa;) means, He is the Ever Living, from eternity to eternity, Who was, is and shall be, the First and the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden.

لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

(La ilaha illa Huwa) means, there is none comparable or equal to Him.

فَـادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ

(so invoke Him making the religion for Him Alone.) means, affirm His Oneness by testifying that there is no God but He. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Imam Ahmad recorded that after ending every prayer, `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr used to say:

«لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ،لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ، لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَلَا نَعْبُدُ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ، لَهُ النِّعْمَةُ وَلَهُ الْفَضْلُ وَلَهُ الثَّنَاءُ الْحَسَنُ، لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُون»

(There is no (true) God except Allah Alone with no partner or associate, to Him belongs the dominion and praise, for He is able to do all things; there is no strength and no power except with Allah; there is no (true) God except Allah and we worship none but Him; to Him belong blessings and virtue and goodly praise; there is no (true) God except Allah, we worship Him in all sincerity even though the disbelievers may hate that.) He said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say the Tahlil in this fashion after every prayer." Similar was also recorded by Muslim, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i.

God it is Who made for you night that you may rest in it and day for seeing — the attribution of sight ibsār to ‘day’ is figurative and it is so attributed because one is able to see in it. Surely God is a Lord of bounty to mankind but most people are not thankful to God and so they do not believe.

Commentary

In the verses cited above, after having presented a few manifestations of Allah's blessings and His perfect power, an invitation to belief in the Oneness of Allah has been extended.

In the first verse (61), it was said: جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ‌ مُبْصِرً‌ا (Allah is the One who made for you the night, so that you may have rest in it, and the day to let you see.). Just imagine how great a blessing it is that all human beings, even animals, have been naturally tuned to a set time for sleep, and that this time has been, in a manner of saying, virtually switched off in perfect synchronization with the need to sleep. In fact, it was made the part of everyone's psyche that this is the time, the time of night, that would bring a sound sleep. Otherwise, had sleep been in one's own control and had everyone been making one's own program to sleep at different hours, as he or she does to set a timetable for business or personal preferences, it would have left all sleepers deprived of the bliss of sleep, nor would it have been convenient for those awake to set their own hours of work right. The reason is that human needs are inter-related. Had sleeping hours been different, jobs of the awake connected with the sleeping would have gone topsy-turvy, and the jobs of the sleeping connected with the awake would have fared no better. Also, if only human beings had a set time for sleep - with wild beasts and animals sleeping at some other time - even then, the system of human engagement with work would have gone haywire.