أَلَا إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ قَدْ يَعْلَمُ مَا أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَيَوْمَ يُرْجَعُونَ إِلَيْهِ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Look! To Allah indeed belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. He certainly knows what you are up to, and the day they are brought back to Him He will inform them about what they have done, and Allah has knowledge of all things.
EXEGESIS
The term alā (here translated as Look) is a word used to call out to someone to get their attention, like saying amā, or hā. It is meant to make the listener/reader pay heed to what is being said, so that its import does not escape them.[1]
EXPOSITION
The concluding verse of the surah reminds once again of its main theme and touches upon many of the concepts presented throughout the surah. God as the creator and owner of all things is intimately aware of them and He has ordered it according to His plan. Those who disobey His commands do not escape His attention, nor shall they avoid the consequences of their actions. In the end, God’s commands and prohibitions are based on His knowledge and are to benefit us.
Look: the usage here calls to mind a parallel with the previous verse, which used the expression duʿāʾ to describe the summons of the Prophet, a term that brought to mind the act of calling out to someone. Now it is God who calls out to His creation as He too has something important to tell them and bring to their attention.
To Allah indeed belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth: as the Creator and owner of all things, He is both keenly aware of them, has a specific plan for them, and most importantly, He has the right to command them as He sees fit.[2]
Previously, God declared that To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth (verse 42). Now He declares that to Him also belongs the ownership of whatever is in them as well. It is important to keep in mind that both belong to God and He did not simply create a universe that He then leaves to its own designs, but rather He is the caretaker of it all, looking after the affairs of every person and thing.
Recall also how earlier verses 32-33 spoke of masters treating their slaves with kindness and looking to their needs. Everyone and everything is a servant of God (verses 41-42) and He is the kindest of all masters, who looks after all the needs of His servants. One of the ways that He does this is by legislating in the shariah that which suits their needs.
He certainly knows what you are up to: this can be understood in different ways:
- Whether you obey or disobey Him.[3]
- What you do in public and what you do in private.[4]
- Mā antum ʿalayhi has also been understood to mean: what state you are in, either faith or hypocrisy.[5]
There is also a flavour of warning and threat in this statement.[6]
And the day they are brought back to Him He will inform them about what they have done: the day is the Day of Judgement.[7] This is another reason to obey the commands of God that in addition to the fact that they serve our own interests in this world, those actions will have consequences in the hereafter.[8] Obviously, informing in this context does not simply mean to tell them about it. Rather, it is to show them its reality and to make them aware of how their actions transpire in the realm of the truth.
And Allah has knowledge of all things: this is the third reference to the knowledge of God in this verse. Anyone who is aware of this reality will certainly be far more mindful of their actions.[9]
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
As we said, To Allah indeed belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth vis-à-vis the previous verse, To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth (verse 42) means that both the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is in them belongs to God. Shaʿrāwī muses that in other words this means that both the container and that which it contains belong to Him. He argues that usually that which is contained within a container is more valuable than the container itself. That is, the contents of a box are more valuable than the box itself. The value of the heavens and the earth is because of the beings and creatures contained within them.[10]
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.[11]
- Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.[12]
- The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.[13]
[1] Tahqiq, 1/137-138, a-l-a.
[2] See also Tibyan, 7/467.
[3] Tabari, 18/135.
[4] Munyah, 19/142.
[5] Tibyan, 7/467; Baghawi, 3/433. See also Zamakhshari, 3/259-260.
[6] Muhit, 8/76.
[7] Tabrisi, 7/250.
[8] See Mizan, 15/168.
[9] Nemuneh, 14/569.
[10] Sharawi, p. 10348.
[11] Deuteronomy 10:14.
[12] Job 41:11.
[13] Psalms 89:11.