Tafsir of Surah Al-Hajj - Verse 62

The Creator and Controller of this World is Allah

Allah tells us that He is the Creator Who directs the affairs of His creation as He wills. He tells us:

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَـلِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ - تُولِجُ الَّيْلَ فِى الْنَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِى الَّيْلِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَىَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الَمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَىِّ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

(Say: "O Allah! Possessor of the power, You give power to whom You will, and You take power from whom You will, and You endue with honor whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are able to do all things. You make the night to enter into the day, and You make the day to enter into the night, You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give wealth and sustenance to whom You will, without limit.) 3:26-27 The meaning of "merging" the night into the day and the day into the night is that the one encroaches upon the other, and vice versa. Sometimes the night is long and the day is short, as in winter, and sometimes the day is long and the night is short, as in summer.

وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ

(And verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer.) He hears what His servants say, and He sees them, nothing about them or their movement is hidden from Him whatsoever. When Allah tells us that He is controlling the affairs of all that exists, and that He judges, and there is none to reverse His judgement, He says:

ذلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ

(That is because Allah -- He is the Truth,) meaning, the true God, besides Whom no one deserves worship. He is the Possessor of the greatest sovereignty; whatever He wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen. Everything is in need of Him and submits to Him.

وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَـطِلُ

(and what they invoke besides Him, it is false.) meaning, the idols and false gods. Everything that is worshipped instead of Him -- may He be exalted -- is false, because it can neither bring benefit nor cause harm.

وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْكَبِيرُ

(And verily, Allah -- He is the Most High, the Most Great.) This is like the Ayat:

وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْعَظِيمُ

(and He is the Most High, the Most Great) 42:4

الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ

(the Most Great, the Most High) 13:9. Everything is subject to His might and power; there is no God except Him and no Lord besides Him, because He is the Almighty and there is none mightier than He, the Most High and there is none higher than He, the Most Great and there is none greater than He. Exalted, sanctified, and glorified be He far above all that the evildoers say.

Commentary

In an earlier verse it has been mentioned that Allah Ta’ ala helps those who are wronged unjustly وَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِ‌هِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ‌ (Allah is powerful to give them victory - 22:39) Some people bear their sufferings patiently and do not seek vengeance from their oppressors, but there are others who retaliate and serve a full measure of retribution on their oppressors which should, therefore, place them both on even terms as being quits. But if the oppressor, incensed at the retaliation, attacks him again, then this person once again becomes the victim of oppression. This verse promises Allah's help for such a person also. On the other hand there are several verses which promise Allah's goodwill to those Muslims who bear their sufferings with patience and equanimity and do not seek vengeance from their oppressors. Some of these verses are:

فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُ‌هُ عَلَى اللَّـهِ

But whoso pardons and puts things right, his wage falls upon Allah - 42:40.

وَلَمَن صَبَرَ‌ وَغَفَرَ‌ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ‌

And that you forgive is closer to Taqwa - 2:237.

But surely he who bears patiently and forgives - surely that is true constancy - 42:43.

In all these verses it is encouraged not to retaliate for revenge and rather forgive and forget, which is a magnanimous way of dealing with fellow human beings. This is the way Qur'anic teachings stand and call it a supreme and superior trait. Thus it may perhaps be argued that the person who retaliates against the wrongs done to him and conducts himself contrary to the course of action preferred by Allah Ta’ ala will be deprived of His support and help. But this doubt has been allayed in the final part of this verseإِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ‌ (22:60) that is, Allah will not punish him for this lapse and will help him if he is subjected to injustice by his oppressors ever again. (Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani)

The system of this world, in its silent language, goes on teaching us a great lesson. Here, again and again, we see the phenomenon of the darkness of the night coming and enveloping the light of the day. Here, every day, the day dawns and dispels the darkness of the night. By analogy, if a group or community is enjoying pomp and glory, it should not harbour the misunderstanding that its pomp and glory will never come to an end. Similarly, if a group or community is oppressed, it should not think that it will remain oppressed forever. God who, in the realm of the heavens, causes the light to be plunged into darkness, and who then restores it, can certainly cause similar events to occur in the world of human beings also. There is no power that can prevent Him from doing so.