Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (367)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

⦗61⦘ “You are never engaged in any affair, nor do you recite any portion of the Quran, nor do any of you perform a deed, without Our being witnesses over you as you engage in it. Not even an atom’s weight is hidden from your Lord on earth or in heaven, nor anything smaller or greater than that, but it is in a clear Record.”

Allah the Exalted informs us that He witnesses everything and is fully aware of all His servants’ states, whether they are active or still. This also contains a call to remain constantly mindful of Him. He says: “You are never engaged in any affair,” meaning any of your religious or worldly affairs. “Nor do you recite any portion of the Quran,” meaning any of the Quran that Allah revealed to you.

“Nor do any of you perform a deed,” whether small or great, “without Our being witnesses over you as you engage in it,” meaning from the moment you begin it and throughout your continued performance of it.

⦗368⦘

Therefore, remain mindful of Allah in your deeds, performing them with sincerity and diligent effort. Beware of everything Allah the Exalted dislikes, for He is fully aware of you and knows both your outward and inward states.

“Not even an atom’s weight is hidden from your Lord,” meaning that nothing is hidden (1) from His knowledge, hearing, sight, and witnessing, “on earth or in heaven, nor anything smaller or greater than that, but it is in a clear Record.” That is, His knowledge encompasses it, and His Pen has recorded it.

These are two of the levels of divine decree and predestination, which Allah frequently mentions together: His knowledge, which encompasses all things, and His writing, which encompasses every event. Allah the Exalted says: “Do you not know that Allah knows whatever is in heaven and earth? Indeed, it is all in a Record. That is certainly easy for Allah.”

(1) In both manuscripts: “what is hidden.”

﴿٦١﴾ ﴿وَمَا تَكُونُ فِي شَأْنٍ وَمَا تَتْلُو مِنْهُ مِنْ قُرْآنٍ وَلا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْ رَبِّكَ مِنْ مِثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلا أَصْغَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلا أَكْبَرَ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ﴾ . يخبر تعالى، عن عموم مشاهدته، واطلاعه على جميع أحوال العباد في حركاتهم، وسكناتهم، وفي ضمن هذا، الدعوة لمراقبته على الدوام فقال: ﴿وَمَا تَكُونُ فِي شَأْنٍ﴾ أي: حال من أحوالك الدينية والدنيوية. ﴿وَمَا تَتْلُو مِنْهُ مِنْ قُرْآنٍ﴾ أي: وما تتلو من القرآن الذي أوحاه الله إليك. ﴿وَلا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ﴾ صغير أو كبير ﴿إِلا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ﴾ أي: وقت شروعكم فيه، واستمراركم على العمل به. ⦗٣٦٨⦘ فراقبوا الله في أعمالكم، وأدوها على وجه النصيحة، والاجتهاد فيها، وإياكم، وما يكره الله تعالى، فإنه مطلع عليكم، عالم بظواهركم وبواطنكم. ﴿وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْ رَبِّكَ﴾ أي: ما يغيب (١) عن علمه، وسمعه، وبصره ومشاهدته ﴿مِنْ مِثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلا أَصْغَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلا أَكْبَرَ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ﴾ أي: قد أحاط به علمه، وجرى به قلمه. وهاتان المرتبتان من مراتب القضاء والقدر، كثيرًا ما يقرن الله بينهما، وهما: العلم المحيط بجميع الأشياء، وكتابته المحيطة بجميع الحوادث، كقوله تعالى: ﴿أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالأرْضِ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ فِي كِتَابٍ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ﴾ .

(١) في النسختين: ما يغاب.