6:12 Al-An'aam (The Cattle)

يقول تعالى لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم { قُلْ } لهؤلاء المشركين بالله، مقررا لهم وملزما بالتوحيد: { لِمَنْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ } أي: مَن الخالق لذلك، المالك له، المتصرف فيه؟ { قُلْ } لهم: { لِلَّهِ } وهم مقرون بذلك لا ينكرونه، أفلا حين اعترفوا بانفراد الله بالملك والتدبير، أن يعترفوا له بالإخلاص والتوحيد؟\". وقوله { كَتَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ } أي: العالم العلوي والسفلي تحت ملكه وتدبيره، وهو تعالى قد بسط عليهم رحمته وإحسانه، وتغمدهم برحمته وامتنانه، وكتب على نفسه كتابا أن رحمته تغلب غضبه، وأن العطاء أحب إليه من المنع، وأن الله قد فتح لجميع العباد أبواب الرحمة، إن لم يغلقوا عليهم أبوابها بذنوبهم، ودعاهم إليها، إن لم تمنعهم من طلبها معاصيهم وعيوبهم، وقوله { لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ } وهذا قسم منه، وهو أصدق المخبرين، وقد أقام على ذلك من الحجج والبراهين، ما يجعله حق اليقين، ولكن أبى الظالمون إلا جحودا، وأنكروا قدرة الله على بعث الخلائق، فأوضعوا في معاصيه، وتجرءوا على الكفر به، فخسروا دنياهم وأخراهم، ولهذا قال: { الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ }

يخبر تعالى أنه مالك السموات والأرض ومن فيهما وأنه قد كتب على نفسه المقدسة الرحمة كما ثبت في الصحيحين من طريق الأعمش عن أبي صالح عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم "إن الله لما خلق الخلق كتب كتابا عنده فوق العرش إن رحمتي تغلب غضبي وقوله "ليجمعنكم إلى يوم القيامة لا ريب فيه" هذه اللام هي الموطئة للقسم فأقسم بنفسه الكريمة ليجمعن عباده "إلى ميقات يوم معلوم" وهو يوم القيامة الذي لا ريب فيه أي لا شك فيه عند عباده المؤمنين فأما الجاحدون المكذبون فهم في ريبهم يترددون وقال ابن مردوية عن تفسير هذه الآية: حدثنا محمد بن أحمد بن إبراهيم حدثنا عبيد الله بن أحمد بن عقبة حدثنا عباس بن محمد حدثنا حسين بن محمد حدثنا محصن بن عتبة اليماني عن الزبير بن شبيب عن عثمان بن حاضر عن ابن عباس قال: سئل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الوقوف بين يدي رب العالمين هل فيه ماء قال "والذي نفسي بيده إن فيه لماء إن أولياء الله ليردون حياض الأنبياء ويبعث الله تعالى سبعين ألف ملك في أيديهم عصي من نار يذودون الكفار عن حياض الأنبياء" هذا حديث غريب. وفي الترمذي "إن لكل نبي حوضا وأرجو أن أكون أكثرهم واردا" وقوله "الذين خسروا أنفسهم"أي يوم القيامة " فهم لا يؤمنون" أي لا يصدقون بالمعاد ولا يخافون شر ذلك اليوم.

Allah is the Creator and the Sustainer

Allah states that He is the King and Owner of the heavens and earth and all of what is in them, and that He has written mercy on His Most Honorable Self. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs, that Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet said,

«إِنَّ اللهَ لَمَّا خَلَقَ الْخَلْقَ، كَتَبَ كِتَابًا عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ، إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي تَغْلِبُ غَضَبِي»

(When Allah created the creation, He wrote in a Book that He has with Him above the Throne; `My mercy overcomes My anger.') Allah said;

لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ

(Indeed He will gather you together on the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt.) swearing by His Most Honored Self that He will gather His servants,

إِلَى مِيقَـتِ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

(For appointed meeting of a known Day.) 56:50, the Day of Resurrection that will certainly occur, and there is no doubt for His believing servants in this fact. As for those who deny and refuse, they are in confusion and disarray. Allah's statement,

الَّذِينَ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُم

(Those who destroy themselves) on the Day of Resurrection,

فَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

(will not believe. ) in the Return and thus do not fear the repercussions of that Day. Allah said next,

وَلَهُ مَا سَكَنَ فِى الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ

(And to Him belongs whatsoever exists in the night and the day.) meaning, all creatures in the heavens and earth are Allah's servants and creatures, and they are all under His authority, power and will; there is no deity worthy of worship except Him,

وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

(and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.) He hears the statements of His servants and knows their actions, secrets and what they conceal. Allah then said to His servant and Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, whom He sent with the pure Tawhid and the straight religion, commanding him to call the people to Allah's straight path;

قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيّاً فَاطِرِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

(Say: "Shall I take as a guardian any other than Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth") Similarly, Allah said,

قُلْ أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَأْمُرُونِّى أَعْبُدُ أَيُّهَا الْجَـهِلُونَ

(Say: "Do you order me to worship other than Allah, O you fools") 39:64. The meaning here is, I will not take a guardian except Allah, without partners, for He is the Creator of the heavens and earth Who orignated them without precedent,

وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلاَ يُطْعَمُ

(And it is He Who feeds but is not fed.) For He sustains His creatures without needing them. Allah also said;

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُونِ

(And I created not the Jinn and humans except that they should worship Me (Alone).) 51:56 Some scholars read it, وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يَطْعَمُ "And it is He Who feeds but He does not eat." meaning, Allah does not eat. Abu Hurayrah narrated, "A man from Al-Ansar from the area of Quba' invited the Prophet to eat some food, and we went along with the Prophet . When the Prophet ate and washed his hands, he said,

«الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يُطْعَمُ، وَمَنَّ عَلَيْنَا فَهَدَانَا وَأَطْعَمَنَا، وَسَقَانَا مِنَ الشَّرَابِ، وَكَسَانَا مِنَ العُرْيِ، وَكُلَّ بَلَاءٍ حَسَنٍ أَبْلَانَا، الْحَمْدُ للهِ غَيْرَ مُوَدَّعٍ رَبِّي وَلَا مُكَافأً وَلَا مَكْفُورٍ، وَلَا مُسْتَغْنًى عَنْهُ، الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنَا مِنَ الطَّعَامِ، وَسَقَانَا مِنَ الشَّرَابِ، وَكَسَانَا مِنَ الْعُرْيِ، وَهَدَانَا مِنَ الضَّلَالِ، وَبَصَّرَنَا مِنَ العَمَى، وَفَضَّلَنَا عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنَ خَلَقَ تَفْضِيلًا، الْحَمْدُ للهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين»

(All praise is due to Allah, Who feeds but is never fed, He bestowed bounty unto us, Who gave us guidance and fed us, gave us something to drink, covered our nakedness; and for every favor He has given us. All praise is due to Allah, praise that should not be neglected, my Lord, all the while affirming that we will never be able to duly thank Him; nor be appreciative enough of Him, nor be free of needing Him. All thanks and praises are due to Allah Who fed us the food, gave us the drink, covered our nudity, guided us from misguidance, gave us sight from blindness, and honored us above many of His creaturers. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all that exists.")

قُلْ إِنِّى أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ

(Say: "Verily, I am commanded to be the first of those who submit themselves to Allah as (Muslims).") from this Ummah,

قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيّاً فَاطِرِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلاَ يُطْعَمُ قُلْ إِنِّى أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَلاَ تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكَينَ - قُلْ إِنِّى أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّى عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

(And be not you of the idolaters. Say: "I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the torment of a Mighty Day.") 6:14-15, the Day of Resurrection,

مَّن يُصْرَفْ عَنْهُ

(Who is averted from) such a torment,

يَوْمَئِذٍ فَقَدْ رَحِمَهُ

(on that Day, He has surely been Merciful to him) meaning, Allah will have been merciful to him,

وَذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْمُبِينُ

(And that would be the obvious success.) Allah also said,

فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ

(And whoever is moved away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful.) 3:185, success here indicates acquiring profit and negates loss.

Say ‘To whom belongs what is in the heavens and in the earth?’ Say ‘To God for even if they do not say this there is no other response. He has prescribed He has decreed for Himself mercy as a bounty from Him — this is a gentle summoning of them to the faith. He will surely gather you together on the Day of Resurrection of which there is no doubt no uncertainty in order to requite you for your deeds. Those who have forfeited their own souls this is the subject — by exposing them to the chastisement — they do not believe this is the predicate.

Commentary

In the opening verse (12), قل لِّمَن مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ the disbelievers have been asked as to who is the Master of the entire universe and all that it contains. Then, Allah Himself gives the answer through the blessed words of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that Allah is the Master of all. The reason for answering the question, rather than waiting for the disbelievers to answer it, is that the answer given was an accepted fact with the disbelievers of Makkah as well, for they were, though involved with Shirk and idolatry, no deniers of the fact that Allah Al-mighty was the Master of the heavens and the earth and everything they contained.

The word, اِلٰی :ila (towards) in the next sentence: لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ He will surely gather you towards a day of doom) has been used either in the sense of tawaffa meaning to take in full, bring to a finish, or gather, (as in the translation of the meaning given here), in which case, it would mean that Allah Ta` ala will gather everyone, from the beginning to the end, on the day of Qiyamah - or, it could mean ` to gather in the graves,' in which case, it would mean that human beings will be kept being gathered into their resting places unto the day of Qiyamah when they will be raised back to life. (Qurtubi)

As for the sentence: كَتَبَ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّ‌حْمَةَ (He has prescribed for Himself to be merciful) appearing a little earlier in verse 12, a narration from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ in the Sahih of Muslim reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When Allah Ta` la made His creation, He made a promise to Himself in writing which is with Him, written in which are the words: اِنَّ رَحمَتِی تَغلِبُ عَلٰی غَضَبِی that is, ` My mercy shall remain dominant over My wrath.' (Qurtubi)

The sentence which appears at the end of the verse: الَّذِينَ خَسِرُ‌وا أَنفُسَهُمْ (Those who have brought loss to themselves ... ) indicates that the deprivation of the disbelievers from the universal mercy of Allah Almighty mentioned earlier was caused by their own deeds, for they did not take to the way which brings mercy - that is, the way of belief and faith. (Qurtubi)

Say: “To whom belongs what is in the heavens and in the earth?” Say: “To God. He has written mercy against Himself.” Ask them, O MuḤammad! Does anyone dwell in the house? In verified truth, does the rightful due of the realm of being have any weight with the Real? If they fail to answer, that will be a healing. So say, “God in His lordhood is enough.” God, and that's it. The rest is folly. O God! It is not from anyone to You, nor from You to anyone-all is from You to You, all is You, and that's it. Glory be to God! A world full of things and full of people-He overthrows it all in one breath. A hundred eyes would not be enough for me to gaze on this work. He has written mercy against Himself. Before He began to create the newly arrived things and to originate the engendered beings, He struck the coin of mercy in the mint of the Unseen as the hard cash of the servants' states and deeds: Surely I am God; there is no god but I [20:14]. “My mercy takes precedence over My wrath.” Tomorrow on the Day of Mustering, the Messenger will call out at the top of the bazaar of the resurrection: “O King, here is a handful of the disobedient. Let me be instructed to clothe them in the shirt of Your mercy, for You have said, 'We sent thee only as a mercy to the worlds' [21:107]. O Lord, it is the day of the bazaar for these beggars. I was catching them with the lasso of the invitation, so I made them many promises. O Lord, do not shame MuḤammad in this gathering of the multitudes! Turn Your promise of mercy and generosity into reality, for You Yourself said, 'O My servants who have been immoderate against yourselves, despair not of God's mercy' [39:53].” From the Court of Majesty will come the call of generosity and mercy: “O MuḤammad! The work of your community is not outside of three: Either they are people of faith, or they are recognizers, or they are disobedient. If they have faith and are hoping for paradise, then here is My paradise. If they are the disobedient hoping for My forgiveness, then here is My mercy and forgiveness.