Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz Amma - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (257)

Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz AmmaIbn al-'Uthaymin

to consult it may do so. Allah—Glorious is His Majesty—says: “Read in the name of your Lord who created.” Regarding “in the name of your Lord,” it has been said that this means reading while accompanied by that name, and it has also been said that it means seeking aid through it—that is: Read while seeking aid through the name of Allah. All of Allah Most High’s names are good, and all provide assistance. A person seeks aid through them when performing ablution, eating, and having marital relations; they are all a source of help.

He said, “in the name of your Lord,” rather than “in the name of Allah,” because the context is one of Lordship, sovereign disposal, governance of affairs, and the beginning of the Message. Hence He said, “in the name of your Lord.” Indeed, Allah Most High had nurtured him—may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace—in a special manner and had likewise bestowed upon him a special measure of His lordly care.

“Who created”—that is, He created everything, as Allah Most High says: “He created all things and determined them with precise determination” [al-Furqān: 2]. Allah Most High also says: “Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is Guardian over all things” [al-Zumar: 62]. There is nothing in the heavens or on earth, whether hidden or visible, small or great, that is not created by Allah—Glorious is His Majesty. He therefore said simply, “created,” omitting the object to indicate universality, for omitting the object conveys a general meaning. Had the object been mentioned, the verb would have been restricted to it. Had He said, “He created such-and-such,” creation would have been restricted solely to what was mentioned. But when He said simply, “created,” without qualification, the meaning became universal: He—Glorious and Exalted is He—is the Creator of all things.

He then said: “Created man from a clinging substance.” Allah Most High specifically mentioned the creation of the human being to honor and ennoble him, for Allah Most High says: “We have certainly honored the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, provided them with good things, and favored them greatly over many of those We created” [al-Isrā’: 70].

For this reason, He expressly mentioned the creation of the human being: “Created man”—that is, He began his creation—“from a clinging substance.” The word ‘alaq is either the plural or the collective noun of ‘alaqa, just as shajar (trees) is the collective noun of shajara (a tree). ‘Alaq refers to a small, red, worm-like clot of blood. This is the initial form in which life begins, for human life depends upon blood: if all of a person’s blood were drained, he would perish.

أن يرجع إليه فليرجع يقول الله ﷿: ﴿اقرأ باسم ربك الذي خلق﴾ قوله: ﴿باسم ربك﴾ قيل معناه متلبساً بذلك، وقيل مستعيناً بذلك، يعني اقرأ مستعيناً باسم الله؛ لأن أسماء الله تعالى كلها خير، وكلها إعانة يستعين بها الإنسان، ويستعين بها على وضوئه، ويستعين بها على أكله، ويستعين بها على جماعه فهي كلها عون، وقال: ﴿باسم ربك﴾ دون أن يقول باسم الله لأن المقام مقام ربوبية وتصرف وتدبير للأمور وابتداء رسالة فلهذا قال: ﴿باسم ربك﴾ إلا أنه ﵊ قد رباه الله تعالى تربية خاصة ورباه كذلك ربوبية خاصة. ﴿الذي خلق﴾ أي خلق كل شيء كما قال تعالى: ﴿وخلق كل شيء فقدره تقديراً﴾ [الفرقان: ٢] . وقال تعالى: ﴿الله خالق كل شيء وهو على كل شيء وكيل﴾ [الزمر: ٦٢] . فما من شيء في السماء ولا في الأرض، من خفي وظاهر، وصغير وكبير إلا وهو مخلوق لله ﷿ ولهذا قال: ﴿خلق﴾ وحذف المفعول إشارة للعموم؛ لأن حذف المفعول يفيد العموم، إذ لو ذكر المفعول لتقيد الفعل به، لو قال خلق كذا تقيد الخلق بما ذكر فقط، لكن إذا قال ﴿خلق﴾ وأطلق صار عامًّا فهو خالق كل شيء جل وعلا. ثم قال: ﴿خلق الإنسان من علق﴾ خص الله تعالى خلق الإنسان تكريماً للإنسان وتشريفاً له؛ لأن الله تعالى يقول: ﴿ولقد كرمنا بني آدم وحملناهم في البر والبحر ورزقناهم من الطيبات وفضلناهم على كثير ممن خلقنا تفضيلاً﴾ [الإسراء: ٧٠] . فلهذا نص على خلق الإنسان ﴿خلق الإنسان﴾ أي ابتدأ خلقه ﴿من علق﴾ جمع، أو اسم جمع علقة، كشجر اسم جمع شجرة، والعلق عبارة عن دودة حمراء من الدم صغيرة وهذا هو المنشأ الذي به الحياة؛ لأن الإنسان دم لو تفرغ من الدم لهلك.