The Lord's Attributes: The Cycle of Creation and Return

Some Attributes of the Lord, that He returns Man as He originated Him, and some of what He does with His Servants

Allah the Exalted said,

وَأَنَّ إِلَى رَبِّكَ الْمُنتَهَى

(And that to your Lord is the End.) meaning, the return of everything on the Day of Resurrection. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Amr bin Maymun Al-Awdi said, "Once, Mu`adh bin Jabal stood up among us and said, `O Children of Awd! I am the emissary of Allah's Messenger ﷺ to you; know that the Return is to Allah, either to Paradise or the Fire."' Allah's statement,

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَى

(And that it is He Who makes you laugh, and makes you weep.) means that He created in His creatures the ability to laugh or weep and the causes for each of these opposites,

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَمَاتَ وَأَحْيَا

(And that it is He Who causes death and gives life.) In a similar statement, Allah said,

الَّذِى خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَوةَ

(Who has created death and life.)(67:2) Allah said,

وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالاٍّنثَى - مِن نُّطْفَةٍ إِذَا تُمْنَى

(And that He creates the pairs, male and female. From Nutfah when it is emitted.) as He said:

أَيَحْسَبُ الإِنسَـنُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى - أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةً مِّن مَّنِىٍّ يُمْنَى - ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقَ فَسَوَّى - فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالاٍّنثَى - أَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِقَـدِرٍ عَلَى أَن يُحْيِىَ الْمَوْتَى

(Does man think that he will be left neglected Was he not a Nutfah Then he became an `Alaqah (something that clings); then (Allah) shaped and fashioned (him) in due proportion. And made of him two sexes, male and female. Is not He (Allah) able to give life to the dead)(75:36-40) Allah the Exalted said,

وَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ النَّشْأَةَ الاٍّخْرَى

(And that upon Him is another bringing forth.) meaning, just as He first originated creation, He is able to bring it back to life, resurrecting it for the Day of Judgement,

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَغْنَى وَأَقْنَى

(And that it is He Who Aghna (gives much) and Aqna (a little).) It is Allah Who gives wealth to His servants and this wealth remains with them. This means they are able to use it to their benefit, is this out of the completeness of His favor. Most of the statements of the scholars of Tafsir revolve around this meaning, such as those from Abu Salih, Ibn Jarir and others. Mujahid said that,

أَغْنَى

(Aghna) meaning: He gives wealth.

وَأَقْنَى

(Aqna) meaning: He gives servants. Similar was said by Qatadah. Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid said;

أَغْنَى

(Aghna) means: He granted; while,

وَأَقْنَى

(Aqna) means: He gave contentment.

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ رَبُّ الشِّعْرَى

(And that He is the Lord of Ash-Shi`ra.) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said about Ash-Shi`ra that it is the bright star, named Mirzam Al-Jawza' (Sirius), which a group of Arabs used to worship.

وَأَنَّهُ أَهْلَكَ عَاداً الاٍّولَى

(And that it is He Who destroyed the former `Ad) the people of Hud. They are the descendants of `Ad, son of Iram, son of Sam, son of Nuh. As Allah the Exalted said,

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ - إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ - الَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى الْبِلَـدِ

(Saw you not how your Lord dealt with `Ad. Of Iram, with the lofty pillars, the like of which were not created in the land)(89:6-8) The people of `Ad were among the strongest, fiercest people and the most rebellious against Allah the Exalted and His Messenger. Allah destroyed them,

بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍسَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَـنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُوماً

(By a furious violent wind! Which Allah imposed in them for seven nights and eight days in succession.)(69:6-7) Allah's statement,

وَثَمُودَ فَمَآ أَبْقَى

(And Thamud. He spared none), declares that He destroyed them all and spared none of them,

وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِّن قَبْلُ

(And the people of Nuh aforetime.) before `Ad and Thamud,

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ هُمْ أَظْلَمَ وَأَطْغَى

(Verily, they were more unjust and more rebellious and transgressing.) more unjust in disobeying Allah than those who came after them,

وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَى

(And He destroyed the overthrown cities.) meaning, the cities (of Sodom and Gomorrah) to which Prophet Lut was sent. Allah turned their cities upside down over them and sent on them stones of Sijjil. Allah's statement that whatever has covered it, has covered it, is like the case with the stones of Sijjil that He sent on them,

وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّطَراً فَسَآءَ مَطَرُ الْمُنذَرِينَ

(And We rained on them a rain (of torment). And how evil was the rain of those who had been warned!)(26:173) Allah said,

فَبِأَىِّ آلاءِ رَبِّكَ تَتَمَارَى

(Then which of the graces of your Lord will you doubt) meaning, `which of Allah's favors for you, O man, do you doubt,' according to Qatadah. Ibn Jurayj said that the Ayah,

فَبِأَىِّ آلاءِ رَبِّكَ تَتَمَارَى

(Then which of the graces of your Lord will you doubt), is directed towards the Prophet saying: "O Muhammad!" However, the first ex- planation is better, and it is the meaning that Ibn Jarir preferred.