55:29 Ar-Rahmaan (The Beneficent)

أي: هو الغني بذاته عن جميع مخلوقاته، وهو واسع الجود والكرم، فكل الخلق مفتقرون إليه، يسألونه جميع حوائجهم، بحالهم ومقالهم، ولا يستغنون عنه طرفة عين ولا أقل من ذلك، وهو تعالى { كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ } يغني فقيرا، ويجبر كسيرا، ويعطي قوما، ويمنع آخرين، ويميت ويحيي، ويرفع ويخفض، لا يشغله شأن عن شأن، ولا تغلطه المسائل، ولا يبرمه إلحاح الملحين، ولا طول مسألة السائلين، فسبحان الكريم الوهاب، الذي عمت مواهبه أهل الأرض والسماوات، وعم لطفه جميع الخلق في كل الآنات واللحظات، وتعالى الذي لا يمنعه من الإعطاء معصية العاصين، ولا استغناء الفقراء الجاهلين به وبكرمه، وهذه الشئون التي أخبر أنه تعالى كل يوم هو في شأن، هي تقاديره وتدابيره التي قدرها في الأزل وقضاها، لا يزال تعالى يمضيها وينفذها في أوقاتها التي اقتضته حكمته، وهي أحكامه الدينية التي هي الأمر والنهي، والقدرية التي يجريها على عباده مدة مقامهم في هذه الدار، حتى إذا تمت [هذه] الخليقة وأفناهم الله تعالى وأراد تعالى أن ينفذ فيهم أحكام الجزاء، ويريهم من عدله وفضله وكثرة إحسانه، ما به يعرفونه ويوحدونه، نقل المكلفين من دار الابتلاء والامتحان إلى دار الحيوان.

وهذا إخبار عن غناه عما سواه وافتقار الخلائق إليه في جميع الآنات وأنهم يسألونه بلسان حالهم وقالهم وأنه كل يوم هو في شأن قال الأعمش عن مجاهد عن عبيد بن عمير "كل يوم هو في شأن" قال من شأنه أن يجيب داعيا أو يعطي سائلا أو يفك عانيا أو يشفي سقيما. وقال ابن أبي نجيح عن مجاهد قال كل يوم هو يجيب داعيا ويكشف كربا ومجيب مضطرا ويغفر ذنبا وقال قتادة لا يستغني عنه أهل السموات والأرض يحيى حيا ويميت ميتا ويربي صغيرا ويفك أسيرا وهو منتهى حاجات الصالحين وصريخهم ومنتهى شكواهم. وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا أبو اليمان الحمصي حدثنا جرير بن عثمان عن سويد بن جبلة هو الفزاري قال إن ربكم كل يوم هو في شأن فيعتق رقابا ويعطي رغابا ويقحم عقابا.وقال ابن جرير حدثني عبدالله بن محمد بن عمرو الغزي حدثني إبراهيم بن محمد بن يوسف الفريابي حدثني عمرو بن بكر السكسكي حدثنا الحارث بن عبدة بن رباح الغساني عن أبيه عن منيب بن عبدالله بن منيب الأزدي عن أبيه قال: تلا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هذه الآية "كل يوم هو في شأن" فقلنا يا رسول الله وما ذاك الشأن؟ قال "أن يغفر ذنبا ويفرج كربا ويرفع قوما ويضع آخرين". وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا هشام بن عمار وسليمان بن أحمد الواسطي قالا: حدثنا الوزير بن صبيح الثقفي أبو روح الدمشقي والسياق لهشام قال سمعت يونس بن ميسرة بن حلبس يحدث عن أم الدرداء عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "قال الله عز وجل "كل يوم هو في شأن" قال من شأنه أن يغفر ذنبا ويفرج كربا ويرفع قوما ويضع آخرين". وقد رواه ابن عساكر من طرق متعددة عن هشام بن عمار به. ثم ساقه من حديث أبي الوليد بن شجاع عن الوزير بن صبيح قال ورد فيما علقه الوليد بن مسلم عن مطرف عن الشعبي عن ام الدرداء عن أبي الدرداء عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فذكره قال والصحيح الأول يعني إسناده الأول "قلت" وقد روي موقوفا كما علقه البخاري بصيغة الجزم فجعله من كلام أبي الدرداء فالله أعلم. وقال البزار حدثنا محمد بن المثنى حدثنا محمد بن الحارث حدثنا محمد بن عبدالرحمن بن البيلماني عن أبيه عن ابن عمر عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم "كل يوم هو في شأن" قال "يغفر ذنبا ويكشف كربا" ثم قال ابن جرير وحدثنا أبو كريب حدثنا عبيدالله بن موسى عن أبي حمزة الثمالي عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس إن الله خلق لوحا محفوظا من درة بيضاء دفتاه ياقوتة حمراء قلمه نور وكتابه نور وعرضه ما بين السماء والأرض ينظر فيه كل يوم ثلثمائة وستين نظرة يخلق في كل نظرة ويحيى ويميت ويعز ويذل ويفعل ما يشاء.

Allah is the Ever Living, Free of all Need

Allah states that all the residents of earth will perish and die. The residents of the heavens will die, except whomever Allah wills. Only Allah's Honorable Face will remain, because our Lord, the Exalted, the Blessed, is the Ever Living Who never dies. Qatadah said, "First, Allah mentioned His creatures and then He said that all of this will perish." And in the reported supplication: `O You the Ever Living Who sustains all that exists! O You Who created the heavens and the earth without precedence. O You, Who Owns the glory and the honor, none has the right to be worshipped except You. We seek refuge with Your mercy. Grant Us success in all of our matters. Please, do not abandon us to rely on ourselves even for an instant nor on any of Your creation." Ash-Sha`bi said, "When you have recited,

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ

(Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish.) do not stop, continue reading,

وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلْـلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ

(And the Face of your Lord Dhul-Jalal wal-Ikram will remain forever.)" This Ayah is similar to Allah's statement,

كُلُّ شَىْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلاَّ وَجْهَهُ

(Everything will perish save His Face.)(28:88) In this Ayah, Allah describes His Noble Face as being Dhul-Jalal wal-Ikram, indicating that He is Worthy of being revered, and thus, never defied; and obeyed, and thus, never disobeyed,

وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ

(And keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord morning and afternoon, seeking His Face.)(18:28), And as He said about those giving charity:

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ

(We feed you seeking Allah's Face only.)(76:9) Ibn `Abbas commented on the meaning of Dhul-Jalal wal-Ikram, by saying, "Owner of greatness and pride." After Allah stated that all of the inhabitants of the earth will die and end up in the Hereafter when He, Dhul-Jalal wal-Ikram, will judge them by His fair judgement, He said,

فَبِأَىِّ ءَالاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

(Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny) Allah said,

يَسْأَلُهُ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍ

(Whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth begs of Him. Every day He is (engaged) in some affair.) In this Ayah, Allah affirms that He is Rich, Free of all wants for anyone else and that all creatures stand in need of Him, in all conditions and situations. They all seek His help willingly or unwillingly. Everyday, He is engaged in some affair. Al-A`mash reported from Mujahid, from `Ubayd bin `Umayr,

كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍ

(Every day He is (engaged) in some affair.) He said, "Of His affairs is that He answers the supplicant, or gives to the one requesting, or removing adversity, or cures the one seeking to be cured."

All that is in the heavens and the earth implore Him either by way of speech or by their very state of dependence on Him for the strength which they require for worship for provision forgiveness and other things. Every day all the time He is upon some matter something that He manifests in accordance with what He has decreed since pre-eternity such as the giving of life the bringing of death exalting and abasing individuals giving abundantly and withholding responding to a supplicating person and giving the one requesting something and so on and so forth.

يَسْأَلُهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ (All those in the heavens and the earth beseech Him. Every day He is at some task...55:29). The verse signifies that all creatures stand in need of Allah, in all conditions and situations. They all seek His help willingly or unwillingly. The earthly creatures ask for their specific needs. In this world, they need sustenance, health and welfare, and comfort; and in the Hereafter, they need forgiveness, mercy and Paradise. The celestial creatures do not eat and drink, they do however need Allah's mercy and grace. Allah's grace, forgiveness and so on surround them all the time. The phrase کُلَّ یَومِ every day' is the adverb of time of the verb يَسْأَلُهُ 'beseech'.(1) The 'day' is not used in its popular sense, but in the sense of 'time' in general. All His creation, in different regions, in different languages implore for their needs all the time. Obviously, each member of the earthly and celestial beings has countless needs. Who else besides the Absolutely Powerful Being, the Lord of Majesty, is able to respond to their needs every moment of the time? Therefore, 'every day' is followed by the sentence هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ 'He is at some task', that is, His Attributes know no limit or count, and keep finding their manifestations in diverse ways all the time. He gives life to some and causes others to die. He elevates some and others He abases. Some He

(1) This is according to one construction of the sentence. Other exegetes have taken the phrase 'every day' as relating to 'He is at some task'. The translation of the verse given above is based on this latter construction, which is also adopted by Moulana Thanawi (رح) . (Muhammad Taqi Usmani). causes to become ill and others He cures. He alleviates the adversity of some; He causes the aggrieved ones to smile; He grants the requests of suppliants; He forgives the sins of the sinners and makes them deserving of Paradise; He gives power to some, and He snatches it away from others and abases them. In sum, every Attribute of Allah keeps finding its manifestation in diverse ways all the time

Whatever is in the heavens and the earth asks of Him. Each day He is upon some task. The faithful are two groups: the worshipers and the recognizers. The asking of each group is in the measure of their aspirations, and the caressing of each is suited to their capacity. The worshipers want everything from Him, the recognizers want Him Himself. AḤmad ibn Abi'l-Ḥawārī saw the Real in a dream. He said, 'O AḤmad, all the people are seek- ing from Me, except Abū Yazīd-he is seeking Me.” I set out for You seeking the heights, and others set out for their livelihood. * Each has a prayer-niche in some direction, but SanāÌī's prayer-niche is Your street. [DS 1004] At this threshold everyone has a station and each has what is suited for him. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “O God, everyone indigent has a portion of Your munificence, everyone in pain has a physician from Your generosity, and all have a portion from the embracing- ness of Your mercy.” Each He keeps in a place and each He dyes in a color. This is why He says, “Each day He is upon some task.” He lifts up one group and puts down others. He puts one at the front of the hall of worth with the attribute of exaltedness, He keeps another at the back with the shoes, in abasement itself. He seats one on the carpet of gentleness, He puts another under the carpet of severity. He pulled Adam the dust-dweller up from the dust of abasement and placed the throne of prosperity on the head of his aspiration, without bias. He pulled down ʿAzāzīl, who was the teacher of the angels, from the celestial world and hung him at the crossroads of the causeless desire from the rack of punishment, without iniquity. To one group He says, “So rejoice!” [9:111], to another group He says, “Die in your rage!” [3:119]. Moses the speaking-companion set off in search of fire. When he left he was a shepherd in a blanket, when he came back he was a prophet, God's speaking-companion. Balaam Beor, who knew the greatest name, went up a mountain as a friend by virtue of form, but came back down as a dog by virtue of attribute and meaning.