The Ocean of the Quran

A verse by verse explanation of The Ultimate Scripture

Al-Zumar – Verse 62

اللَّهُ خالِقُ كُلِّ شَيءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلىٰ كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَكيلٌ

Allah is the creator of all things, and He watches over all things.

EXEGESIS

Wakīl is one who has been entrusted with a task.‎[1] God is a wakīl over all things, meaning that He has authority over all beings. Wakīl involves an aspect of beauty as well as an aspect of majesty. In terms of beauty, this quality means that God provides and covers for all of His servants, protects and suffices all of His creatures, and guides them all to their perfections.‎[2] In terms of majesty, it means that God has total power, dominance, and influence over all things. Overall, He has a close watch over all of His creatures.

EXPOSITION

This verse has appeared with minor differences in three other places in the Quran (6:101-102, 13:16, 40:62). It is based on an intuitive admission and confession by the polytheists in Mecca – and people in general – established in verse 38: If you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say: ‘Allah’.‎[3]

Allah is the creator of all things refers to the origination of things (ḥudūth), and He watches over all things refers to their continuation (baqāʾ). He is the sole creator of everything in the universe, and He is the sole conductor of all affairs: All creation and command belong to Him (7:54). He created everything and determined it in a precise measure (25:2). In fact, it is because He is the creator that He is also the conductor, as the two are not separable from one another. Likewise, the next verse builds on what is said here. The repetition of all things (instead of using a pronoun) might serve to emphasise that things remain under God’s command and watch even after their creation.

He watches over all things is a threat to those who are heedless of God’s watch, presence, and power. At the same time it is an assurance to the believers that they have a Lord who is looking after them. This statement complements the negation in verse 41: it is not your duty to watch over them.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

  1. It is narrated that the signet of Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) bore this noble statement: Allah is the creator of all things.‎[4]
  2. The Prophet said: ‘People shall certainly question you about everything, to the point where they will ask: “If God is the creator of all things, then who created God?” Should they ask you this, tell them: “God was before all things; He is the creator of all things; and He shall be after all things.”’‎[5]

Note: The question ‘who is the creator of God’ is based on an assumption that every being needs to have a creator. However, this is only true about every being whose reality or quiddity (māhiyyah) is different to the reality of existence, meaning that it must be given existence. But God is the selfsame reality of existence, in its purest, simplest, and most infinite sense, without any mix or composition. Such a being is needless of a creator to give it existence. Sometimes a simple example is given to clarify this issue: ‘Anything that is greasy owes its greasiness to oil, but oil is itself greasy.’ It also follows that this sense of pure and infinite existence cannot be but one.‎[6]

  1. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘Indeed God, bounteous and exalted is He, is apart from His creatures and His creatures are apart from Him. All of that which is called a thing other than God is created, and Allah is the creator of all things. Blessed is the one that Nothing is like Him [42:11].’ This has also been narrated with slight variations from Imam al-Bāqir (a).‎[7]

Note: What is meant here is that God is apart from the limited aspects of His creatures, and nor do they share in His reality. This is because God has no part or aspect of plurality to have any associate whatsoever.‎[8]

  1. Imam al-Riḍā (a) was asked: ‘What is your view about tafwīḍ (God’s empowerment and entrustment of affairs to His creatures)?’ He said: ‘Indeed God, bounteous and exalted is He, entrusted the affairs of His religion to His Prophet, as He says: Take whatever the Apostle gives you, and relinquish whatever he forbids you [59:7]. But as with the matters of creation and sustenance, He did not entrust them to anyone, as He says: Allah is the creator of all things, and also, It is Allah who created you and then He provided for you, then He makes you die, then He will bring you to life. Is there anyone among your partners who does anything of that kind? Immaculate is He and exalted above [having] any partners that they ascribe [to Him] [30:40].’‎[9]

Note: This is a very beautiful yet concise way of explaining the matter of tafwīḍ. God has not entrusted the existential affairs of the universe to anyone. It is only in the domain of legislation that He has given authority to His Prophet to deliver, announce, and establish religious injunctions.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

This verse has fuelled much polemical debate on whether God is the creator of the sins that people commit or not.‎[10] Whatever the answer may be, this discussion is not the primary intent of these verses. The principle of unicity in actions would help reconcile the opposing views of the Asharites and Mutazilites.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

  1. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.‎[11]
  2. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.‎[12]

TOPICAL ARTICLES

See Topical Article: Determinism and Free Will.

[1] Raghib; Qamus, under w-k-l.
[2] Bursawi, 8/131.
[3] Mizan, 17/288.
[4] Kafi, 6/473, h. 2.
[5] Suyuti, 5/333.
[6] Furqan, 25/375-376, with some elaboration.
[7] Kafi, 1/82-83, h. 4 and 5; Tawhid, p. 105.
[8] Mulla Sadra, Sharḥ Uṣūl al-Kāfī, 3/47-48.
[9] Uyun, 2/202-203, h. 3.
[10] Zamakhshari, 4/138-140, including the footnotes; Razi, 27/470.
[11] John 1:3.
[12] Colossians 1:16-17.