Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz Amma - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (36)

Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz AmmaIbn al-'Uthaymin

“Lord of the heavens and earth and all that lies between them—the Most Merciful. They have no power to address Him. On the Day when the Spirit and the angels stand in rows, none will speak except one whom the Most Merciful permits and who speaks rightly. That is the True Day. So whoever wills, let him take a path of return to his Lord. Indeed, We have warned you of a punishment near at hand—the Day when each person will see what his own hands have sent ahead, and the disbeliever will say, ‘If only I were dust!’”

“Lord of the heavens and earth and all that lies between them—the Most Merciful”: Allah—Glorified and Exalted—is the Lord of all things. Allah Most High says, “I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this city, who has made it sacred and to whom all things belong” [al-Naml: 91]. He is the Lord of the seven layered heavens and the Lord of the earth, which likewise consists of seven earths, as authentically established in the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his family. (1)

“And all that lies between them” means all the immense created things between the heavens and earth, such as clouds, cloudbanks, the celestial spheres, and other things—some of which we know and some of which none knows but Allah—Glorified and Exalted.

His words, “They have no power to address Him,” mean that people have no power to address Allah, and no one can speak except by Allah’s permission. This will be “on the Day when the Spirit stands”—that is, Gabriel—“and the angels in rows,” meaning row after row. This is because, as stated in the hadith, “The angels of the lowest heaven will descend and surround creation. Then the angels of the second heaven will stand beyond them, followed by those of the third, fourth, and fifth heavens” (2), and so on—in rows whose number is known only to the One who created them—Glorified and Exalted.

(1) Recorded by al-Bukhārī, “The Beginning of Creation,” chapter “What Has Been Related Concerning the Seven Earths” (3195, 3196); and Muslim, “Agricultural Transactions,” chapter “The Prohibition of Injustice and the Usurpation of Land and Other Property” (1610–1612). (2) Ibn Kathīr, *al-Bidāya wa-l-Nihāya* (*The Beginning and the End*), “The Coming of the Lord—Glorified and Exalted,” 19:473; and al-Hākim, 4:614. Al-Dhahabī graded it strong.

﴿رَّبِّ السَّمَوَتِ وَالَاْرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا الرَّحْمَنِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَاباً * يَوْمَ يَقُومُالرُّوحُ وَالْمَلَئِكَةُ صَفّاً لَاّ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَاّ مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ وَقَالَ صَوَاباً * ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الْحَقُّ فَمَن شَآءَ اتَّخَذَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ مََاباً * إِنَّآ أَنذَرْنَكُمْ عَذَاباًقَرِيباً يَوْمَ يَنظُرُ الْمَرْءُ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ وَيَقُولُ الْكَافِرُ يَلَيْتَنِى كُنتُ تُرَباً﴾ . ﴿رب السماوات والأرض وما بينهما الرحمن﴾ فالله ﷾ هو رب كل شيء، قال الله تعالى: ﴿إنما أمرت أن أعبد رب هذه البلدة الذي حرمها وله كل شيء﴾ [النمل: ٩١] . فهو رب السماوات السبع الطباق، ورب الأرض وهي سبع كما ثبت ذلك في السنة عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم. (١) ﴿وما بينهما﴾ أي ما بين السماوات والأرض من المخلوقات العظيمة كالغيوم والسحب والأفلاك وغيرها مما نعلمه، ومما لا يعلمه إلا الله ﷾. وقوله: ﴿لا يملكون منه خطاباً﴾ يعني أن الناس لا يملكون الخطاب من الله، ولا يستطيع أحد أن يتكلم إلا بإذن الله، وذلك ﴿يوم يقوم الروح﴾ وهو جبريل ﴿والملائكة صفًّا﴾ أي صفوفاً. صفًّا بعد صف، لأنه كما جاء في الحديث: «تنزل ملائكة السماء الدنيا فتحيط بالخلق، ثم ملائكة السماء الثانية من وراءهم، ثم الثالثة والرابعة والخامسة» (٢) وهكذا.. صفوفاً لا يعلم عددهم إلا الذي خلقهم ﷾.

(١) أخرجه البخاري، كتاب بدء الخلق، باب ما جاء في سبع أرضين (٣١٩٥) (٣١٩٦) . ومسلم كتاب المساقاة، باب تحريم الظلم وغصب الأرض وغيرها (١٦١٠) (١٦١١) (١٦١٢) . (٢) البداية والنهاية لابن كثير (فصل في مجئ الرب ﷾ ٤٧٣ / ١٩. والحاكم (٤/٦١٤) وقال الذهبي قوي.