Tafsir of Surah Az-Zumar - Verse 63

Allah is the Creator and Controller, and associating others in worship with Him cancels out Good ...

Allah tells us that He is the Creator, Lord, Sovereign and Controller of all things; everything is subject to His dominion, power and guardianship.

لَّهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

(To Him belong the Maqalid of the heavens and the earth.) Mujahid said, "Maqalid means `keys' in Persian." This was also the view of Qatadah, Ibn Zayd and Sufyan bin `Uyaynah. As-Suddi said:

لَّهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

(To Him belong the Maqalid of the heavens and the earth.) "The treasures of the heavens and the earth." Both opinions mean that the control of all things is in the Hand of Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, for His is the dominion and to Him is the praise, and He is able to do all things. He says:

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ

(And those who disbelieve in the Ayat of Allah,) meaning, His proof and evidence,

أُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْخَـسِرُونَ

(such are they who will be the losers.)

قُلْ أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَأْمُرُونِّى أَعْبُدُ أَيُّهَا الْجَـهِلُونَ

(Say: "Do you order me to worship other than Allah O you fools!") The reason for the revelation of this Ayah was narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim and others from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the idolators in their ignorance called the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to worship their gods, then they would worship his God with him. Then these words were revealed:

قُلْ أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَأْمُرُونِّى أَعْبُدُ أَيُّهَا الْجَـهِلُونَ - وَلَقَدْ أُوْحِىَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَـسِرِينَ

(Say: "Do you order me to worship other than Allah O you fools!" And indeed it has been revealed to you, as it was to those before you: "If you join others in worship with Allah, surely your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers.") This is like the Ayah:

وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُواْ لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

(But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them.) (6:88).

بَلِ اللَّهَ فَاعْبُدْ وَكُن مِّنَ الشَّـكِرِينَ

(Nay! But worship Allah, and be among the grateful.) means, `you and those who follow you and believe in you should make your worship sincerely for Allah Alone, with no partner or associate.'

Commentary

The word: مَقَالِيدُ (maqalid) in: لَّهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ (To Him belong the keys to the heavens and the earth.- 39:63) is the plural form of: مِقلاد (miqlad) or: مِقلِید (miqlid) meaning a key. It has been said that this word has really been Arabicized from the Persian language. In Persian, a key is called کَلِید (kalid). When Arabicized, it became: اِقلِید (iqlid) with its plural being: مَقَالِيدُ (maqalid) (Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani). Having keys in one's hand denotes ownership, possession and the ability to dispense at will. Therefore, the sense of the verse is that the keys to whatever treasures lie hidden in the heavens and the earth are in the hands of Allah and He alone is the custodian and the dispenser in that it is He who gives whenever He wills to whomever He wills and as much as He wills - and would just not give to anyone He so wills.

And in some narrations of Hadith, the third kalimah, that is: سُبحَانَ اللہِ وَالحَمدُ للہِ وَ لا إلہ إلا اللہُ و اللہُ اَکبَر وَلَاحولَ وَلَا قُوَّۃَ اِلَّا بِاللہِ اَلعَلِیِّ العَظِیم (Pure is Allah and Praised is Allah and there is no god worthy of worship but Allah and Allah is Great and there is no strength and there is no power except from Allah, the High, the Great) has been called: مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ ('the keys to the heavens and the earth' - 39:63). The outcome is: One who recites this kalimah, mornings and evenings, is blessed by Allah Ta’ ala from the treasures of the heavens and the earth. Ibn-ul-Jawzi has declared these narrations to be: موضوع (mawdu': fabricated, forged). But, other Hadith experts have rated these as weak ضَعِیف (da` if) ahadith that can be relied

upon in the matter of the merits of good deeds. (Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani)

The existence of the Universe is proof of the existence of its Creator. Similarly, the conduct of the affairs of the universe in a meaningful and systematic manner proves that, at all times, a Supreme Caretaker is watching over it. If one gives serious consideration to these things, one will find in the universe the sign of its Creator and also the sign of its Organizer and Designer. Under these circumstances, those who worship beings other than God are indulging in an action which has absolutely no value in the present universe, because as the Creator and Organizer is one and the same, worshipping Him alone will be of avail to man. Worshipping anybody other than that Being amounts to calling upon a totally non-existent entity.