وَلَو نَشاءُ لَجَعَلنا مِنكُم مَلائِكَةً فِي الأَرضِ يَخلُفونَ
Had We wished We would have set in your stead angels to be [your] successors on the earth.
EXEGESIS
The preposition min in minkum (your) can be understood as partitive (tabʿīḍ), indicating a part of a whole, i.e. God would have made some humans as angels.[1] This meaning is adopted in Irving’s translation: ‘If We had so wished, We might have made angels out of some of you who would replace you on earth.’ Other exegetes understand min to indicate substitution (badal), giving the meaning of angels being on the earth instead of humans, and thus successors would mean that the angels would replace mankind entirely.[2] This can be seen in Mir Ahmed Ali’s translation: ‘If We pleased, We could have put angels in place of you as trustees on the earth.’
EXPOSITION
This verse emphasises that it is not the case that God is in need of people’s worship. If He wanted to, He could have replaced mankind with angels who are utterly subservient to Him and continuously worship Him (see also 4:133 and 6:133).[3] In other words, had He wished, He would have given the angels the place of succession on the earth instead of humans.
Some exegetes suggest that the verse is a response to those who were doubting the infinite power of God, by considering the creation of Prophet Jesus (a) without a father as farfetched. This interpretation relies on the phrase in verse 57, When the Son of Mary was cited, to be referring to the mode of creation of Prophet Jesus (a). This verse then aims to remove the astonishment of the polytheists by stating that for a God who has the power to create all human beings in the form of angels, the creation of Prophet Jesus (a) without a father is a simple matter.[4] Some exegetes, adopting such an understanding, add that what is meant by jaʿalnā minkum (We would have set in your stead) is ‘We would have produced from you [angels]’ i.e. just as God was powerful enough to make Lady Mary give birth to Prophet Jesus (a) without a husband, similarly He can make you give birth to angels.[5]
That said, Tabatabai suggests a different explanation which is preferred by some contemporary exegetes. According to him, this verse continues the preceding discussion, addressing the polytheists’ objection to how Prophet Jesus (a) could perform extraordinary acts – such as creating a bird from clay, reviving the dead, and speaking in the cradle – while remaining a mere servant of God. In their perception, such perfection was exclusive to angels, whose worship they justified on that basis. The Quran affirms that God can purify certain human beings from all sin and impurity, endowing them with angelic qualities inwardly while they outwardly remain human. Such individuals would live on earth, succeed one another in the human pattern of succession, and yet manifest the purity and function of angels.
As Tabatabai explains, the point is that if God can create a human without a father, as in the case of Prophet Jesus (a), He can likewise produce from among humans – from your own kind – those possessing the very qualities you ascribe to angels, whom you deem the most perfect of creatures. Yet even they would remain servants of God, not deities, just as angels – who despite their elevated roles in the administration of the cosmos, such as bringing death, distributing rain and sustenance, and other acts of divine management – hold no share in divinity. In fact, creating humans who preserve their human form and succession while embodying angelic attributes is an even greater marvel than creating a fatherless human. This understanding is congruent with the preposition min being partitive.[6]
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
It has been suggested that the idea of replacing humans with angels points to God’s absolute power – the power to transform corporeal human beings into non-corporeal angels.[7] Exegetes who favour this interpretation highlight that God’s boundless ability enables Him to turn a blazing fire into a cool garden for Prophet Abraham (a), to create Prophet Adam (a) from clay, to bring forth human life from a mere drop of sperm, to change a staff into a serpent, and likewise, to bring angels into existence from human beings.[8]
Some exegetes have considered this verse to be a threat to the polytheists in that because God is entirely needless of them, should He wish to, He can destroy all of them and replace them with angels (similar to 47:38).[9] However, this understanding is not in line with the context of the verses since the verse before and after seem to be talking about Prophet Jesus (a).[10] Additionally, the verse does not seem to be in a position of threatening the disbelievers.[11]
Some exegetes suggest that after responding to the claims of the polytheists regarding Prophet Jesus (a), this verse responds to another of their claims – that the angels are daughters of God, as alluded to in verse 15. The angels are servants of God, whose place has been assigned to the higher realms, and if He willed, He could have made them inhabitants of the earth instead of human beings. In other words, their belonging to the higher realms was not inherently necessary for them; rather, it is a position granted by God, just as He has appointed inhabitants for the earth. And if God willed, He could have reversed matters, making the angels dwell on earth in place of humans. Therefore, God’s honouring them with residence in the higher realms does not necessitate their being children of God and nor does it grant them divinity.[12] This reading has been critiqued because the mere fact that the angels could have been created and placed on the earth instead of the heavens does not really negate the idea of them being God’s children.[13]
[1] Mizan, 18/117.
[2] Tabrisi, 9/53; Rahnama, 17/85; Tibyan, 9/211.
[3] Amthal, 16/81; Tabrisi, 9/81; Tabari, 20/629-630.
[4] Rahnama, 17/86.
[5] Daqaiq, 12/83; Alusi, 13/92; Razi, 27/640.
[6] Mizan, 18/117; Hadi, 3/247; Munyah, 25/234.
[7] Tabrisi, 9/81; Rahnama, 17/85.
[8] Atyab, 12/47.
[9] Kashif, 6/556.
[10] Munyah, 25/233.
[11] Hadi, 3/246.
[12] Ibn Ashur, 25/278.
[13] Hadi, 3/246.