إِنَّما أَمرُهُ إِذا أَرادَ شَيئًا أَن يَقولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكونُ

All His command, when He wills something, is to say to it ‘Be,’ and it is.

EXEGESIS

Innamā (only) is a prepositional phrase that restricts and affirms because it is composed of the corroborative inna and the redundant mā, which restrains the former from exercising its governance.^{‎[1]Lane, p. 104.} Together, the components of the phrase indicate a restriction of all related functions to the sentence that follows it. This verse indicates that the command of God is nothing but His action to execute His will, and it is prompt, without any delay.

Amruhu (his command) refers to the supreme universal command that takes effect immediately, unlike the gradual processes of creation, although both emanate from Him. Look! All creation and command belong to Him (7:54).

An yaqūla (to say) implies saying by any means such as speech, sign, inspiration, or revelation. Since God is amorphous, His word is associated with neither sound, voice, nor any physically associated sign language, but His word is His will.^{‎[2]Raghib, pp. 688-689.}

The reason for using the word kun (be) is to emphasise the swiftness and immediacy of realisation of His will, not that He utters the word.

EXPOSITION

This verse is one of the astonishing verses of the Quran, describing that for God to bring something into existence, merely His will is sufficient. He does not require any prerequisite, medium, or helper to bring something into existence or to remove any obstacles that would prevent Him. Hence, He does what He wills.

The main purport of this verse is to explain that Allah does not need any means in creation. He does not need to think, plan, or seek raw material. When He wills something, He just says ‘Be,’ and it is. And that Be is a metaphor for the swiftness in which things happen, not that He literally utters it. For if this command was a vocal utterance, it would require another similar command to exist, which would require another vocally uttered command to come into existence, and so on, which would lead to an infinite regress. Therefore, Be indicates the ease by which Allah creates; hence, He can easily create everything from the smallest creatures to the gigantic stars and planets. For such a great and mighty God, how can people even think that He cannot bring someone back to life, which can also be done by His single command of Be?^{‎[3]Amthal, 14/176-177.} There are only two stages for God’s actions: the will, the existence, and nothing in between.^{‎[4]Amthal, 14/257.}

So, God does not create in the way we make things. His is only a will, expressed here as a command. And even that will is His creation, as Imam Ali (a) explains in sermon 186 of Nahj al-Balāghah: ‘When He intends to create something He just says ‘Be,’ and it is but not through a voice that strikes [the ears] or a call that could be heard. His speech is an act that He creates.’

Command signifies an existential command and does not mean the command that pertains to obligations or prohibitions. So, to bring the dead to life, he just needs to will it. For Him, easy and difficult have no meaning. Easy and difficult are compared with the amount of available knowledge, power, and the means of it; however, for someone with infinite knowledge and power who does not need any means, ease and difficulty are irrelevant.

Even time has no meaning in the realm of His command. Time is a dimension He gives to His creation, not that He spends time to create. In other words, it does not take Him time to create things, but He creates things and gives them the dimension of time. It is He who created you from clay, then decreed a fixed time for you (6:2); All that We say to a thing when We will it, is to say to it ‘Be!’ and it is (16:40).

You may say: the more we explore this, the more confused we become; you are right, because this is a realm our intellect cannot reach. Imam Ali (a) says: ‘Imagination cannot reach Him to assign Him quantity. Understanding cannot think of Him to give him quality. Senses do not perceive Him to grasp Him.’^{‎[5]Nahj, sermon 186.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘The will from the people begins from intention, and then it appears in action. As for God, the mighty and the exalted, His will is His creation. He only says “Be!” without fatigue or procedure.’^{‎[6]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 3/1917.}
2. God said in one of His holy books: ‘O son of Adam! I am alive and do not die; obey Me in whatever I have commanded you, I will give you life and you will not die. O son of Adam! I say to a thing “Be!” and it is; obey Me in whatever I have commanded you, I will make you say to a thing “Be!” and it is.’^{‎[7]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 3/1798.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Who is like you among the gods, O LORD – glorious in holiness, awesome in splendour, performing great wonders?^{‎[8]Exodus 15:11.}
2. For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.^{‎[9]Romans 1:20.}
3. But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So, I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.^{‎[10]Exodus 3:19-20.}

[1] Lane, p. 104.
[2] Raghib, pp. 688-689.
[3] Amthal, 14/176-177.
[4] Amthal, 14/257.
[5] Nahj, sermon 186.
[6] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 3/1917.
[7] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 3/1798.
[8] Exodus 15:11.
[9] Romans 1:20.
[10] Exodus 3:19-20.