is “not overtaken by drowsiness”—that is, somnolence—“or by sleep,” because drowsiness and sleep befall only a created being beset by weakness, incapacity, and decline. They do not befall the Possessor of grandeur, majesty, and glory.
He also informs us that He owns all that is in the heavens and on earth. All are servants owned by Allah, and none can pass beyond this condition: “There is no one in the heavens and on earth who will not come to the Most Merciful as a servant.” He is the Sovereign of every realm, and His are the attributes of sovereignty, absolute disposal, authority, and majesty.
Part of the perfection of His sovereignty is that no one can “intercede with Him” “except by His permission.” All persons of rank and all intercessors are servants owned by Him, and they do not venture to intercede until He grants them permission. “Say: All intercession belongs to Allah. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and earth.” Allah permits no one to intercede except on behalf of one with whom He is pleased, and He is pleased only with monotheism and adherence to His messengers. Whoever does not possess these qualities will have no share in intercession.
He then informs us of His vast, all-encompassing knowledge: He knows the limitless future events that lie before created beings and “what is behind them” of the boundless events of the past. Nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him: “He knows the furtive glance of the eyes and what the breasts conceal.”
No created being encompasses anything of Allah’s knowledge or of all that He knows “except what He wills”—namely, what He has disclosed to them of matters pertaining to revealed law and divine decree. This is an exceedingly small part that dwindles into insignificance beside the Creator’s knowledge and all that He knows. As those of creation who know Him best—the messengers and angels—said: “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us.”
He then informs us of His greatness and glory: His Kursī extends over the heavens and earth, and He preserves them and all the worlds within them through the causes and systems that Allah has placed within creation.
Nevertheless, “preserving them does not weary Him”—that is, it does not burden Him—because of the perfection of His greatness and power and the vastness of His wisdom in all that He ordains.
“He is the Most High” in His Essence, above all His creation. He is Most High in the grandeur of His attributes, and He is the Most High who subdues all created beings. All that exists submits to Him, every difficulty yields before Him, and all necks are humbled before Him.
He is “the Most Great,” who possesses every attribute of greatness, majesty, glory, and splendor. Hearts love Him, spirits revere Him, and those who know Him recognize that the greatness of everything else—however indescribably immense it may be—dwindles into nothing beside the greatness of the Most High, the Most Great.
A verse containing these meanings—the most sublime of all meanings—rightly deserves to be the greatest verse in the Quran. It is fitting that the heart of anyone who recites it thoughtfully and with understanding should be filled with certainty, knowledge, and faith, and that he should thereby be protected from the evils of Satan.
﴿256﴾ “There is no compulsion in religion. Right guidance has become distinct from error. Whoever rejects tāghūt and believes in Allah has grasped the firmest handhold, which will never break. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”
This explains the perfection of the Islamic religion. Its proofs are perfect and its signs are clear. It is the religion of reason and knowledge, the religion of the natural disposition and wisdom, the religion of righteousness and reform, and the religion of truth and right guidance. Because of its perfection and its acceptance by the natural disposition, there is no need to compel anyone to embrace it. Compulsion is used only for something from which hearts recoil and which conflicts with reality and truth, or for something whose proofs and signs are obscure. Accordingly, when this religion reaches someone and he rejects and refuses it, he does so only out of obstinacy.
Right guidance has become distinct from error, so no excuse or plea remains for anyone who rejects and refuses it. This meaning does not conflict with the many verses that make jihad obligatory, for Allah commanded fighting so that religion may be entirely for Allah and so that aggression against the religion may be repelled.
The Muslims unanimously agree that jihad continues with both the righteous and the wicked, and that jihad by word and jihad by action are enduring obligations.
Therefore, the view of any exegete who thinks that this verse conflicts with the verses concerning jihad and categorically declares it abrogated is weak both textually and in meaning. This is plainly evident to anyone who reflects upon this noble verse, as we have pointed out.
Allah then divides people into two categories. The first believes in Allah alone, without partner, and rejects tāghūt—which comprises everything incompatible with faith in Allah, whether polytheism or otherwise. Such a person has grasped the firmest handhold, which will never break. Rather, he remains steadfast upon the true religion until it brings him to Allah and to His abode of honor.
The second category is understood by implication from the verse: whoever does not believe in Allah but instead disbelieves in Him and believes in tāghūt will suffer eternal ruin and everlasting punishment.
His words, “Allah is All-Hearing,” mean that He hears every sound despite the differences between languages and the manifold needs being expressed. He hears the supplications of those who call upon Him and the humble entreaties of those who implore Him.
He is “All-Knowing” of what breasts conceal and of the hidden secrets of all affairs. He will therefore recompense each person according to His knowledge of that person’s intentions and deeds.
﴿257﴾ “Allah is the Protector of those who believe. He brings them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their protectors are tāghūt, who bring them out of light into darkness. They are the inhabitants of the Fire, where they will remain forever.”
This verse follows from the preceding one: the previous verse is the foundation, while this is its fruit.
Allah Most High informs us that He is the Protector of those who believe in Him and prove their faith true by fulfilling its obligations and abandoning everything incompatible with it. He takes them under His special care and protection and nurtures them, bringing them out of the darkness of ignorance, disbelief, sin, heedlessness, and aversion into the light of knowledge, certainty, faith, obedience, and complete devotion to their Lord. He illuminates their hearts with the light of revelation and faith that He casts into them, facilitates the path of ease for them, and spares them the path of hardship.
As for those who disbelieve, when they take as protectors those other than their true Protector, Allah turns them over to what they have chosen for themselves. He forsakes them and entrusts them to the care of those whom they adopted as protectors, though they possess no power either to benefit or to harm. They lead them astray and bring them misery, deprive them of guidance to beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds, and deprive them of happiness. The Fire becomes their abode, where they will remain forever and ever.
O Allah, take us into Your care among those whom You have taken into Your care.
﴿258﴾ “Have you not considered the one who disputed with Abraham about his Lord because Allah had granted him kingship? Abraham said, ‘My Lord is the One who gives life and causes death.’ He said, ‘I give life and cause death.’ Abraham said, ‘Allah brings the sun from the east, so bring it from the west.’ The disbeliever was dumbfounded. Allah does not guide wrongdoing people.”
Allah relates to us accounts of the messengers and former peoples through which truths become clear and varied proofs of monotheism are established.