Allah belong the East and the West

(115) وَلِلّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّواْ فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيم

115. " And to Allah belong the East and the West, wherever you turn, there is the Presence of Allah. Surely Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing."

Occasion of Revelation :

There are different narrations cited on the cause of the occasion of revelation of this verse.

Ibn Abbas says that this verse concerns the change of the Qiblah. When Muslims' Qiblah was changed from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah, the Jews tried to reject it by objecting to the Muslims and demanding of them how the Qiblah could be changed. This verse was revealed and replied to their objection that the East and the West of the world belong to Allah. (1)

Another tradition indicates that this verse has been revealed regarding ' the recommended prayers '. It refers to this meaning that one can pray his supererogatory prayers in any direction that his mount moves towards, even if he is facing opposite to the Qiblah. (2)

Some others have narrated from Jabir who said that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) once sent some of the Muslims to fight in a war. When the dark of night fell and they wanted to pray their night prayer they could not confirm the correct direction of the Qiblah. Then, every one used an approximate direction towards the Qiblah and offered his prayers. At the break of dawn they found out that they had prayed towards a direction other than the Qiblah. They informed the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) about it and the above verse was revealed declaring that their prayers were all correct in such a condition. (3)

(1) Majma'-ul-Bayan, vol. 1, p. 191

(2) Manhaj-us-Sadiqin, vol. 1, p. 348, & AbulfuTuh-Razi, vol. 1, p. 302

(3) Tafsir-ut-Tibyan, vol. 1, p. 424 & Tafsir Nimunah, vol. 1, p. 413

267

(This religious creed, of course, has some conditions that should be studied in jurisprudent books.)

It is realistic that all of the above occasions of revelation are correct for this verse. That is, the verse refers to the idea of the change of the Qiblah as well as reciting the supererogatory prayer when riding on a mount, and the obligatory prayers performed when the correct direction of the Qiblah is not recognizable. Besides, no verse, in principle, is allocated exclusively to its occasion of revelation, but its content should be considered as a general ordinance; and, sometimes, what a great number of different ordinances can be derived from it.

Commentary :

Allah, the Omnipresent

The previous verse was about the oppressors who prevented worship in the mosques of Allah, and strived for the destruction of them. The verse under discussion is a continuation of the same idea. It says:

" And to Allah belong the East and the West, wherever you turn, there is the Presence of Allah. ..."

It is not such that if they prevent you from entering the mosques of Allah and attending the monotheistic centers, the path of adoring Allah would be entirely closed to you. The East and the West of the world belong to Him. Whithersoever you turn, He is there. Also, the change of the Qiblah, which was ordained because of some particular circumstances, has not the least effect on our worship. Can any place be found where Allah is not there. In principle, Allah has no limited place. (A further explanation can be studied on page 322) .

That is why at the end of the verse, it says:

"... Surely Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing."

The point noteworthy here is that the East and the West mentioned in the verse should not be taken as confined to the directions where the sun rises or sets, as they are only relative expressions. The emphasis on the East and the West may be because the first directions that man is able to recognize are these two directions, and the other

268

directions can be figured out by determining them.

The Qur'an, concerning these directions, also says: " And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account) , inheritors in both East and West, ...", (Sura 'A'raf, No. 7, verse 137) .

* * * *

Philosophy of the Qiblah

The first question that arises here is that if ' wherever we turn, there is the Presence of Allah ', then why is it necessary that we observe the direction of the Qiblah ?

As we will explain later, observing the Qiblah does not mean to confine the Presence of Allah to a particular direction. Since man is a creature dependent on material and concrete thought, he should pray towards whatever direction the commandment has mandated. All should pray towards a single direction in order to unite all Muslims in single rows, and to avoid dispersion and disorder.

Imagine how disgraceful it would be if every individual prayed toward a separate direction or in dispersive rows.

By the way, the direction which is appointed as the Qiblah (the direction towards the Ka'bah) is a holy place and it is the most ancient sacred site of monotheism whose consideration evokes monotheistic remembrance.

The phrase / wajhullah / does not mean ' the face of Allah ', as some have rendered, but it means, here, ' the Unity or Presence of Allah '.

As it was stated before, in the occasion of revelation, and many Islamic narrations attest to, this verse has been taken as the basic reference to certify the validity of the prayers offered by those who would pray toward a direction other than the direction of the Ka'bah by mistake or because of lack of the capability of verification. This very verse is also referred to for the validity of reciting prayers when riding on a moving mount. (For more details concerning this subject, refer to the jurisprudential books ' Wasa'il-ush-Shi'ah ', ' Kitab-us-Salat ', and 'Abwab-ul-Qiblah '.)

269

Here, we attract your attention to three authentic traditions about the term / wajhullah / and its meaning :

1. It is cited in the book ' Al-Tauhid ' from Salman Farsi, through a tradition known as Jathliq, who asked Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (a.s.) some questions which were comprehensively replied to. One of them was that he asked him (a.s.) which direction his Lord's presence was. Hadrat Ali (a.s.) told Ibn Abbas to have some firewood fetched for him (a.s.) . The firewood was brought and was kindled. When the fire was flaming, Hadrat Ali (a.s.) asked the man which direction the face of the fire was, and the Christian answered that its face was on every side. Ali-ibn-Abitalib (a.s.) said: " This fire which is a material, is not recognized by its face, then Allah, its Creator, is not like that. ' To Allah belong the East and the West, wherever you turn, there is the Presence of Allah.' ..." (1)

2. Again, keeping in mind that the commands given by the Holy Messenger (p.b.u.h.) are those that he has received from Allah, it is narrated from Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (a.s.) who said that the manifestation of Allah (s.w.t.) is Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) who are the guides and Imams for people whose obedience to them has been enjoined by Him the same as it has been enjoined to Him and His Messenger (p.b.u.h.) . That is, the only way to the cognizance of / wajhullah / ' the Presence of Allah' and the Divine Majesty is through Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) , who are His witnesses. (2) That is, haply, why they (Imams) have said:" It is through us that people know Allah, and through us (with our guidance) they worship Allah." (3)

3. Tariq-ibn-Shahab has narrated in a tradition from Hadrat Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (a.s.) who said: " O Tariq ! Imam is the Word of Allah, the Proof of Allah, the Presence of Allah, the Light of Allah..." (4)

There are some other expressive narrations on the subject cited in Biharul-Anwar, vol. 93, p. 228, which can be referred to, too.

(1) At-Tauhid, by Shaykh Saduq, p. 182

(2) Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 93, p. 118, & Al-Ihtijaj by Tabarsi

(3) Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 23, p. 102, Tradition 1

(4) Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 25, p. 168

116. " They said: ' Allah has taken to Himself a son '. Glory be to Him! Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on the earth: all are obedient to Him."

117. " Originator (is He) of the heavens and the earth; and when He decrees a matter to be, He only says to it ' Be ' and it is."

Commentary :

The Jews, Christians, and Pagans and their Superstitions

The superstitious belief that Allah has got a child is accepted by the Christians, a group of the Jews, and some pagans. All of them believe that He has chosen a child for Himself.

Sura At-Taubah, No. 9, verse 30 says: " The Jews call 'Uzair (Ezra) a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from theTruth!"

Also, about the pagans, Sura Yunus, No. 10, verse 68 says: "They say: ' Allah has begotten a son! ' Glory be to Him! He is Self-Sufficient! ..."

There are many other verses in the Holy Qur'an that refer to this inappropriate idea of theirs.

To condemn this superstition, the first verse of the verses under discussion says:

" They said: ' Allah has taken to Himself a son '. Glory be to Him! ..."

271

Why would Allah need to take a son for Himself? Is He in need of one? Is He limited? Does He need to be helped? Or, is it necessary for Him to have any descendants?

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

"... all are obedient to Hi."

* * * *

He is not only the Possessor of all things and creatures in the world of existence, but also, " Originator (is He) of the heavens and the earth; ..."

And He has created all of them without any previous design, preparation, or without being in need of any pre-existing material.

What necessity is He forced by to have a child while everything is immediately ready for Him?

"... and when He decrees a matter to be, He only says to it ' Be ' and it is."

Explanation

Besides the above verse, the phrase / kun fayakun / ' Be! and it is ' has occurred in several verses of the Qur'an, including the followings:

1. Sura 'Al-i-'Imran, No. 3, vere 47

2. Sura 'Al-i-'Imran, No. 3, verse 59

3. Sura Al-An'am, No. 6, verse 73

4. Sura An-Nahl, No. 16, verse 40

5. Sura Maryam, No. 19, verse 35

6. Sura Yasin, No. 36, verse 82

7. Sura Qafir, No. 40, verse 68

This phrase is about the Will of Allah and His Absolute Sovereignty on the subject of creation.

To understand this well, we should know the meaning of the Unity of Acts and the creation of all created beings by Allah's Will. Precisely, Unity of Acts, in terms of His acts, does not need any help or helper from outside Himself. Should He use any means for that purpose, the means itself is created by Him and used by Him. It is not

272

that he needs some help from outside Himself which is not connected to Him, and to bebrought from somewhere else, or if so Allah would not be able to do whateverHe wants to. No, it is not like that at all. Allah, Acts need none but Himself and His Will alone.

The explanation is that the objective meaning of the phrase / kun fayakun /('Be! ' and it is) is ot that Allah issues a verbal command with the word ' Be ', but the reality is that when He wills something to exist it exists. there will be no time between that will and its existence, not even a moment.

In other words, the phrase / Kun fayakun / (' Be! ' and it is) is only to bring home to the human mind the Omnipotent Will which, properly speaking, can never be ruanlated into any verbal expression. Amir-ul-mineen Ali ibn-AbiTalib (a.s) of whom the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) had declared:'I (i.e. the holy prophet himself) am the city of knowledge and Ali is its Gate ', in referring to the phrase mentioned in this verse; regarding the Divine Omnipotence and the execution of His Will says:

" Not by sound uttered, nor by voice heard, His Word, blessed be He, is Action proceeding from Him " . (1)

There is a similar idea in a tradition from Hadrat Musa-ibn-Ja'far, the seventh Imam (a.s.) , cited in Al-Kafi as well as in Touhid Saduq. (2)

This meaning, with a slightly different explanation, is also mentioned in Tafsir-Burhan, vol. 1, p. 146.

(1) Nahjul-Balaqah, Arabic version by Subh-i-Salih, p. 274

(2) Tafsir-us-Safi, vol. 1, p. 167

118. " And the ignorant said: ' Why does Allah not speak to us or a Sign comes not to us? ' Even thus said those before them, the like of what they say; their hearts are all alike. Indeed We have made clear the Signs to people who are sure."

119. " Verily, We have sent you (O' Muhammad) with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner and you shall not be questioned about the inhabitants of the Blazing Fire."

Commentary :

Another Pretext

Similar to the pretexts of the Jews, in the initial verses of the above group of verses, another party of pretext-seekers are referred to, whom, apparently, were the Arab pagans. It says:

" And the ignorant said: ' Why does Allah not speak to us or a Sign comes not to us? '..."

This group of unbelieving people, whom the Qur'an has referred to as / allaoina la ya'lamuna / ' the ignorant ' had, indeed, two illogical demands:

1. Why does Allah not speak to them ?

2. Why does a Sign not come to them ?

In answer to these selfish demands, the Qur'an says:

"... Even thus said those before them, the like of what they say;

274

their hearts are all alike. Indeed We have made clear the Signs to people who are sure."

If they truly intend to understand the Truth, these very verses revealed to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) are clear Signs to the rightfulness of his Call. Why should some verses be independently and directly revealed to each individual separately? And, what does it mean that a person insists that Allah must speak to him, himself, directly?

A similar idea to this is also stated in Sura Al-Muddaththir, No. 74, verse 52, thus: " Forsooth, each one of them wants to be given scrolls (of revelation) spread out! "

This manner, in principle, besides that it is not necessary, contrasts with Divine Wisdom, because firstly, the rightfulness of the prophethood of prophets has been proved to all peoples by way of the verses which were revealed to them themselves. Secondly, it is not possible for verses and miracles to be revealed to every individual, for this needs a special kind of eligibility, preparation, and purity of soul. It closely resembles to a situation in which all the wires of the vast electrical system of a city (the strong thick wires and the very thin ones) be expected to receive the same extraordinarily high amount of electricity that immediately arrives into the initial thick wires directly from the main generator. This expectation is certainly a vain, incorrect expectation. The engineer who has arranged these various wires for different purposes has calculated the capability of each wire. Some of them convey the electricity directly and immediately from the generator, while some others do it by means of some intermediary wires and with a variety of voltages.

* * **

The next verse addresses the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and defines his duty regarding their demands for miracles and other pretexts. It says:

" Verily, We have sent you (O' Muhammad) with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner ..."

That is, O' Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) your responsibility is that you proclaim Our commandments to all people, to illustrate the miracles, and to express the facts logically and with clear statements. This action

275

should coincide with persuading the good doers and warning the evil doers. This is your duty.

"... and you shall not be questioned about the inhabitants of the Blazing Fire."

* * * *

Explanation :

Their Hearts are All Alike!

In the above verses we learnt that the Qur'an declares: " Even thus said those before them, the like of what they say; their hearts are all alike." This idea points to the fact that the passing of time and the instructions of prophets (p.b.u.h.) should have had such an effect that the later generations could gain a larger portion of knowledge so that they would put aside vain statements which are a sign of ignorance. But unfortunately, this group of people usually have no share in the process of development. They are always retrogressive so that it seems as if they belonged to thousands of years ago, and the passing of time has not affected the least change in their minds.

* * * *

Two Instructive Principles

' Glad tidings ' and ' warning ' or ' encouragement ' and ' threat ' form a great part of the motives of educational and social affairs. A person should be both encouraged for his good deeds and punished for his wrong actions, in order to be prepared for paving the first path and avoiding the second route.

Mere encouragement is not enough for the attainment of improvement in an individual or a society, because in this condition the individual is sure that committing sin does not harm him.

The present followers of Christ (a.s.) , for example, believe in 'ransom'. They think that Jesus (a.s.) has been sacrificed for their sins. Even their clergymen sometimes promise them Heaven, and forgiveness

276

for their sins on behalf of the Lord. It is evident that such a group of people may easily commit sins.

In a Guide to Christian Workers of the New American Standard Version Bible (pg. 1295) , it is cited about Christ a.s.) :

" He tasted death for me, thus He bore the supreme penalty of my sins."

Surely this incorrect idea makes its followers bold in committing wrongs and corruption.

In short, those who think mere encouragement is enough in training men (irrespective of children or adults) and threats, punishment and revenge have no place and should be completely put aside, are completely wrong. On the other hand, those who, neglecting the encouraging aspect, think that training is based only on threats and terror are on a wrong path as well.

These two groups have a mistaken conception of Man, because they do not have this fact in mind: that Man is made up of a combination of hope and fear, love of living and hatred of destruction. His nature is to attract gain and to repel loss.

Observing the parallel between these two principles is particularly essential since if encouragement and hope goes beyond limits, it results in boldness and negligence. And when threats and punishment is abundant, it produces despair and extinguishes the flames of love and vitality.

For the exact same reason, in the verses of the Qur'an, the terms ' glad tidings ' and ' warning ' have occurred in conjunction with each other. It has happened that the term ' glad tidings ' has sometimes preceded the term ' warning ', like in the verse under discussion; and sometimes it is vice versa, as in Sura Al-A'raf, No. 7, verse 188, which says:

"... I am a warner and a bringer of glad tidings to those who have Faith."

In fact, in the majority of these verses of the Qur'an, 'glad tidings ' has preceded ' warning '. This may be because, in general, the Mercy and Grace of Allah have preceded His Wrath and punishment, as we call Him in supplications: " O' He Whose Mercy precedes His Wrath."