Tafsir of Surah Al Baqarah

This and the following Ayat refute the Christians, may Allah curse them, and their like among the Jews and the Arab idolators, who claimed that the angels are Allah's daughters. Allah refuted all of them in their claim that He had begotten a son.

Allah said,

سُبْحَانَهُ

Glory is to Him.

meaning, He is holier and more perfect than such claim;

بَل لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالَارْضِ

Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth,

meaning, the truth is not as the disbelievers claimed, rather, Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and earth and whatever and whoever is in, on and between them. Allah is the Supreme Authority in the heavens and earth, and He is the Creator, Provider and Sustainer Who decides all the affairs of the creation as He wills. All creatures are Allah's servants and are owned by Him. Therefore, how could one of them be His son The son of any being is born out of two comparable beings. Allah has no equal or rival sharing His grace and greatness, so how can He have a son when He has no wife Allah said,

بَدِيعُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ لَّهُ صَـحِبَةٌ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ وهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have children when He has no wife He created all things and He is the Knower of everything! (6:101)

وَقَالُواْ اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَـنُ وَلَداً

لَقَدْ جِيْتُمْ شَيْياً إِدّاً

تَكَادُ السَّمَـوَتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الاٌّرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدّاً

أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَـنِ وَلَداً

وَمَا يَنبَغِى لِلرَّحْمَـنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً

إِن كُلُّ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِلاَّ اتِى الرَّحْمَـنِ عَبْداً

قَدْ أَحْصَـهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدّاً

كُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ فَرْداً

And they say:"The Most Gracious (Allah) has begotten a son (offspring or children)."

Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing. Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins. That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most Gracious (Allah). But it is not suitable for (the majesty of) the Most Gracious (Allah) that He should beget a son (or offspring or children).

There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Gracious (Allah) as a servant. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender). (19:88-95)

and,

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَّهُ كُفُواً أَحَدٌ

Say:"He is Allah (the) One, Allah the Samad (the Self- Sufficient, upon whom all depend), He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable to Him." (112:1-4)

In these Ayat, Allah stated that He is the Supreme Master Whom there is no equal or rival, everything and everyone was created by Him, so how can He have a son from among them This is why, in the Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn Abbas said that the Prophet said,

قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى كَذّبَنِي ابْنُ ادَمَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذلِكَ وَشَتَمَنِي وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذلِكَ

فَأَمَّا تَكْذِيبُهُ إِيَّايَ فَيَزْعُمُ أَنِّي لَاأ أَقْدِرُ أَنْ أُعِيدَهُ كَمَا كَانَ

وَأَمَّا شَتْمُهُ إِيَّايَ فَقَوْلُهُ لِي وَلَدًا فَسُبْحَانِي أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ صَاحِبَةً أَوْ وَلَدًا

Allah said, `The son of Adam has denied Me, and that is not his right. He has insulted Me, and that is not his right.

As for the denial of Me, he claimed that I am unable to bring him back as he used to be (resurrect him).

As for his insulting Me, he claimed that I have a son. All praise is due to Me, it is unbefitting that I should have a wife or a son.'

This Hadith was recorded by Al-Bukhari.

It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَاا أَحَدَ أَصْبَرُ عَلَى أَذًى سَمِعَهُ مِنَ اللهِ إِنَّهُمْ يَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ وَلَدًا وَهُوَ يَرْزُقُهُمْ وَيُعَافِيهِم

No one is more patient when hearing an insult than Allah. They attribute a son to Him, yet He still gives them sustenance and health.

Everything is within Allah's Grasp

Allah said,

كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ

and all are Qanitun to Him.

Ibn Abi Hatim said that Abu Sa`id Al-Ashaj informed them that Asbat informed them from Mutarrif, from Atiyah, from Ibn Abbas who said that,

قَانِتِينَ

(Qantin) means, they pray to Him.

Ikrimah and Abu Malik also said that,

كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ

(and all are Qanitun to Him),

means, bound to Him in servitude to Him.

Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Qanitun is sincerity. Ar-Rabi bin Anas said that,

كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ

(all are Qanitun to Him) means,

"Standing up - before Him - on the Day of Resurrection."

Also, As-Suddi said that,

كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ

(and all are Qanitun to Him) means,

"Obedient on the Day of Resurrection."

Khasif said that Mujahid said that,

كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ

(and all are Qanitun to Him) means,

"Obedient. He says, `Be a human' and he becomes a human."

He also said, "(Allah says,) `Be a donkey' and it becomes a donkey."

Also, Ibn Abi Najih said that Mujahid said that,

كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ

(and all are Qanitun to Him),

means, obedient.

Mujahid also said,

"The obedience of the disbeliever occurs when his shadow prostrates, while he hates that."

Mujahid's statement, which Ibn Jarir preferred, combines all the meanings, and that is that Qunut means obedience and submission to Allah.

There are two categories of Qunut:legislated and destined, for Allah said,

وَللَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَظِلَـلُهُم بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالاٌّصَالِ

And unto Allah (alone) falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and in the (late) afternoons. (13:15)

The Meaning of Badi`

Allah said