(1–8) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Tā Hā. We have not sent down the Quran to you to cause you hardship, but only as a reminder to those who fear Allah—a revelation from the One who created the earth and the lofty heavens. The Most Compassionate rose over the Throne. To Him belongs whatever is in ⦗502⦘ the heavens, whatever is on earth, whatever is between them, and whatever lies beneath the soil. Whether you speak aloud, He certainly knows the secret and what is even more hidden. Allah—there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.”
“Tā Hā” is among the disconnected letters with which many surahs open; it is not a name of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
“We have not sent down the Quran to you to cause you hardship.” That is, the purpose of revelation, of sending the Quran down to you, and of instituting sacred law is not to make you suffer, nor for sacred law to impose duties that burden those accountable and exceed the strength of those who act upon them. Rather, revelation, the Quran, and sacred law were ordained by the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. He made this revelation a means of attaining happiness, prosperity, and success; made it exceedingly easy and facilitated all its paths and gateways; and made it nourishment for hearts and souls and repose for bodies. Sound natural dispositions and upright minds therefore received it with acceptance and submission, knowing the good it contains for this world and the Hereafter. Thus He said:
“But only as a reminder to those who fear Allah”: so that whoever fears Allah Most High may take heed through it. He is reminded of its encouragement toward the loftiest aims and acts accordingly, and of its warnings against misery and loss and so guards himself against them. Through it, he is also reminded of the excellent and detailed rulings of sacred law whose goodness was already established in his reason in general terms. Their detailed exposition thus accords with what he finds in his natural disposition and reason. This is why Allah called it “a reminder,” for a reminder concerns something already present whose possessor has merely become heedless of it or does not have its details in mind.
He specifically singled out “those who fear Allah” for this reminder because others do not benefit from it. How could one who believes in neither Paradise nor Hell, and whose heart does not contain even an atom’s weight of fear of Allah, benefit from it? This can never be. “The one who fears will take heed, while the most wretched will shun it—the one who will burn in the greatest Fire.”
He then mentioned the majesty of this magnificent Quran: it is a revelation from the Creator of the earth and the heavens, the One who governs all creatures. Therefore, receive His revelation with the utmost submission, love, and acceptance, and venerate it to the fullest extent.
He frequently joins creation and command together, as in this verse, in His statement, “Surely, His alone are creation and command,” and in His statement, “Allah is the One who created seven heavens and, of the earth, their like. The command descends among them.” This is because He is the Creator who commands and prohibits. Just as there is no creator besides Him, no obligation, command, or prohibition may be imposed upon creatures except by their Creator. Moreover, His creation of creatures entails His governance of them through His universal decree, while His command entails His governance of them through religious law. Just as His creation never departs from wisdom—for He created nothing in vain—so too He commands and prohibits only what is just, wise, and good.
Having made clear that He is the Creator and Governor, the One who commands and prohibits, He then informed us of His greatness and majesty, saying:
“The Most Compassionate rose over the Throne”—which is the highest, greatest, and most expansive of created things—“rose” in a manner befitting His majesty and suited to His greatness and beauty. Thus He rose over the Throne and encompassed the whole dominion.
“To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens, whatever is on earth, and whatever is between them”—including angels, human beings, jinn, animals, inanimate things, and plants—“and whatever lies beneath the soil,” meaning beneath the earth. All belong to Allah Most High and are His servants, governed and subjected beneath His decree and direction. They possess no share of dominion and have no power to bring themselves benefit or harm, death, life, or resurrection.
“Whether you speak aloud, He certainly knows the secret”—hidden speech—“and what is even more hidden” than the secret: what lies within the heart but has not been uttered. Alternatively, “the secret” is what occurs to the heart, while “what is even more hidden” is what has not yet occurred to it; Allah Most High knows that it will occur at its appointed time and in its precise form. The meaning is that His knowledge encompasses all things, great and small, hidden and manifest. Thus, whether you speak aloud or quietly, all are equally known to Allah Most High.
After establishing His absolute perfection through the all-encompassing nature of His creation, His commands and prohibitions, His mercy, the vastness of His greatness, His elevation above His Throne, His dominion, and His knowledge, it follows that He alone deserves worship; that worshipping Him is the truth required by sacred law, reason, and sound natural disposition; and that worshipping anything besides Him is false. Thus He said: that is, none is rightfully worshipped, nor is anyone adored with love, humility, fear, hope, devotion, turning to Him, and supplication, except Him.
“To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.” That is, His are the many, perfect, most beautiful names. One aspect of their beauty is that they are all names denoting praise; there is not one among them that does not denote praise and commendation. Another aspect of their beauty is that they are not merely proper names, but names and attributes. Another is that they denote perfect attributes and that, of every attribute, His is its most perfect, comprehensive, and sublime form. Another is that He commanded His servants to call upon Him by them because they are a means of drawing near to Him. He loves them, loves those who love them, loves those who memorize them, and loves those who seek to understand their meanings and worship Him by means of them. Allah Most High says, “To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.”