وَما خَلَقنَا السَّماءَ وَالأَرضَ وَما بَينَهُما باطِلًا ۚ ذٰلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذينَ كَفَروا ۚ فَوَيلٌ لِلَّذينَ كَفَروا مِنَ النّارِ

We did not create the sky and the earth and whatever is between them in vain. That is a conjecture of the faithless. So woe to the faithless for the fire!

EXEGESIS

Samāʾ (sky) in singular should be referring to the physical dimension of reality and creation, in other words the physical universe. See more on this in the following sections.

Bāṭil (vain) is the opposite of ḥaqq (truth or justice).^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 129.} Ḥaqq can also have the meaning of that which is wise; in this sense bāṭil is that which is devoid of wisdom. Hence, it stands in juxtaposition to the ḥaqq mentioned in the previous verse. God is ḥaqq, orders to act according to ḥaqq, creation emanates from God, and so it is created in ḥaqq, Allah did not create the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them except with reason (ḥaqq) (30:8).

Ẓann (conjecture): as mentioned in the commentary on verse 24, ẓann means to assume something and it does not reach the degree of knowledge. Indeed, atheists cannot prove their viewpoint, and only assume that there is no creator.^{‎[2]Mudarrisi, 11/354.}

EXPOSITION

The exhortation regarding the Day of Reckoning that ended the story of Prophet David (a) in the previous verse is taken as a chance for a brief three verse interlude on the topic before continuing onto the story of Prophet Solomon (a).

The verse is addressed to the faithless, challenging their world view. If there was no Day of Reckoning then there would ultimately be no purpose for creation, no difference between right and wrong, as all existence would be in vain and futility, as it would all simply fade into nothingness. God categorically denies this, saying, We did not create the sky and the earth and whatever is between them in vain. Everything that God has created has a purpose. Every single being and atom has a reason for its existence. That purpose is aimed at the hereafter, Did you suppose that We created you aimlessly, and that you will not be brought back to Us? (23:115).

This assumption of futility would rob God of His wisdom and creation of meaning, and such a position could only be held by someone who does not understand God, therefore That is a conjecture of the faithless (kafarū). In fact, anyone who claims that there is no point to existence has uttered kufr and has shown their lack of faith and understanding.^{‎[3]Razi, 26/387.} This is, after all, one of the primary differences between theism and atheism: one sees the world having a purpose, the other considers it mere accident and happenstance without any meaning.

This may be why the singular samāʾ is used. As this verse is addressed to the faithless, it seems to be limiting the scope of discussion to the physical world only. In a way, it is telling the faithless that they should not think the world they observe (and the only reality that they believe in) is some great accidental coincidence, but rather quite purposeful.

Just like truth and falsehood are not equal, neither are their consequences. The immense and exact consequences of denying God’s signs and wisdom will be witnessed in the hereafter, So woe to the faithless for the fire!

This all also relates to the idea of just governance and judging that was brought up in the previous verses. As the creation of God is based on truth, so too should the vicegerent of God maintain that truth amongst God’s creation.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Zamakhsharī asks that if the polytheists at the time of Prophet Muhammad (s) believed in God as the creator of all (If you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say: ‘Allah’ (31:25)) then why would they think that God has created everything in vain? He answers this by saying that because they did not believe in resurrection or the hereafter, because they thought there would be no reward or punishment – effectively rendering all actions inconsequential – they had in reality reduced all life to be meaningless and pointless.^{‎[4]Zamakhshari, 4/90.}

Rāzī draws proof from this verse that there must be a hereafter, saying that if we accept there is a creator then one of three options must be true:

1. He has created mankind so that they may benefit.
2. He has created mankind so that they may be harmed.
3. He has created mankind neither for benefit nor harm.

He then says that 2 is false because that is not befitting a merciful, just, and benevolent being. 3 is also false as that would be achieved without creating anything. That only leaves option 1.

We must then say that that benefit is either to be had in this world or the hereafter. The former is false because the benefits of this world are few and short lived, whereas its troubles and difficulties are many. Reason does not permit that many difficulties should be borne for few benefits, therefore there must be a hereafter with lasting benefits that are many. Since the verse says there should be a purpose, then that benefit should exist.^{‎[5]Razi, 26/387.}

Jubbāʾī used this verse as proof that God could not have created actions (as some theologians had claimed, saying that God creates actions and then people acquire them). Jubbāʾī reasoned that actions include sins and falsehoods, and if God created them, He would have created falsehood (bāṭil).^{‎[6]Razi, 26/387.}

This verse has also been used as a proof against the fatalists (mujbirah), who are said to have claimed that God creates a person faithless. Their critics point out that this would equate to creating falsehood (bāṭil).^{‎[7]Tibyan, 8/557; Tabrisi, 8/737; Razi, 26/387, who argues that this verse is in fact proof that the creed of the fatalists is the very essence of faithlessness (ʿayn al-kufr).}

[1] Raghib, p. 129.
[2] Mudarrisi, 11/354.
[3] Razi, 26/387.
[4] Zamakhshari, 4/90.
[5] Razi, 26/387.
[6] Razi, 26/387.
[7] Tibyan, 8/557; Tabrisi, 8/737; Razi, 26/387, who argues that this verse is in fact proof that the creed of the fatalists is the very essence of faithlessness (ʿayn al-kufr).