The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of Sura Al-fatir
Commentary : Verse 2
(2) مَّا يَفْتَحِ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِن رَّحْمَةٍ فَلاَ مُمْسِكَ لَهَا وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلاَ مُرْسِلَ لَهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
2.“Whatever mercy Allah opens to men, none can withhold and whatever He withholds, none can loose after Him, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.”
Commentary:
All people throughout the world are enjoying the favours of Allah, the Almighty, the Merciful.
Next to the explanation of the creative power of Allah and the mission of the angels, who are the means of giving favours, this verse refers to His Mercy which is the foundation of the whole world of existence. It says:
“Whatever mercy Allah opens to men,none can withhold …”
“… and whatever He withholds, none can loose after Him, …”
“… and He is the Mighty, the Wise.”
In short, all of the treasures of mercy are with Him, and whomever He sees eligible He gives it to him, wherever His Wisdom requires, He opens its doors; and if all humankind may gather with together in order to open the door He has shut, they will never be able to do. This fact is an important branch of Unity which is the origin of other branches.
Similar to this meaning has also been mentioned in some other verses of the Qur’a-n, for example it says: “And if Allah afflicts you with any hurt, none can remove it but Him. And if He intends any good for you, none can repel His favour. He causes it to reach whomsoever of His servants He pleases, and He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” [^1]
[^1] Sura Yu-nus, No. 10, verse 107
Commentary : Verse 3
(3) يَآ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ هَلْ منْ خَالِقٍ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَرْزُقُكُم مِنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالأَرْضِ لآ اِلَهَ اِلاَّ هُوَ فَاَنَّي تُؤْفَكُونَ
- “O’people! Remember Allah’s favour upon you; is there any creator, apart from Allah, who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth? There is no god but He; whence are you then turned away (from the truth)?”
Commentary:
We ought to invite all to contemplation upon the blessings of Allah, because the best way of knowing Allah is to be attentive to His favours.
In this holy verse the Qur’a-n has pointed to ‘the Unity of worship’ based on ‘Unity of creative power and giving sustenance’. It says:
“O’ people! Remember Allah’s favour upon you; …”
Do think properly! Who and where is the main origin of all these favours, merits, and blessings? Who has given you all these vital possibilities in which you live? Is there any creator, except Allah, who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth?
Who sends the life giving light of the sun, the enlivening drops of rain, and the pleasant breezes from heaven toward you? And who brings out the mines and treasures of the earth, the food stuffs, kinds of plants, vegetables, fruits and other blessings from this land for you? In this regard the verse continues saying:
“… is there any creator, apart from Allah, who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth? …”
Now that you know that Allah is the origin of all of these blessings, then do know that there is no object of worship but He, and worshipping is eligible only for His Pure Essence. It says:
“… There is no god but He; whence are you then turned away (from the truth)?”
The Qur’a-nic term /tu’faku-n/ is derived from /’ifk/ which is used for anything that diverts it from its original state, therefore any hardship which diverts from the Truth is called /’ifk/ and it is from this very point of view that it is applied in the sense of falsehood and slander; but some commentators believe that this word refers to the great lies and slanders.
Commentary : Verse 4
(4) وَاِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَاِلَي اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الأُمُورُ
4.“And if they belie you, apostles before you have been belied, and to Allah are all affairs returned.”
Commentary:
All Divine prophets had some opponents, and rejecting the truth is the permanent style of the pagans. Pagans, of course, do not do anything against ordinary persons, they are opposite of the way and aim. Whoever calls to the truth he will be rejected by them.
This holy verse, at first, teaches the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) to be steadfast along his way, and this is the most important lesson for him. It says:
“And if they belie you, apostles before you have been belied, …”
This rejection is not a new thing. Those prophets before you also persevered in this way and they did not stop their activities in their prophecy before when they fulfilled their mission. You, too, must stand firm and perform your prophecy, the rest is up to Allah.
He never ignores your troubles in this way, in the same manner that He does not leave the rejections of the obstinate opponent without retribution. If there were not the Day of Hereafter, there would be the state of anxiety. But, regarding to the existence of that great Court and that the entire deeds of people are recorded and preserved for that Great Day, there is no room for anxiety any more.