وَلَئِن سَأَلتَهُم مَن خَلَقَ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضَ لَيَقولُنَّ خَلَقَهُنَّ العَزيزُ العَليمُ

If you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say: ‘The All-Mighty, the All-Knowing created them.’

EXEGESIS

The letter lām in laʾin (if) is to indicate an oath,^{‎[1]Jalalayn, 1/492.} and alongside the lām and nūn in la-yaqūlunna (they will surely say), are all syntactical tools to add emphasis.^{‎[2]Ibn Ashur, 25/217.} Therefore, a more literal translation of the verse that accounts for this emphasis would be: By Allah, if you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ indeed, they will surely say: ‘The All-Mighty, the All-Knowing created them.’

Al-ʿazīz is derived from the root letters ʿ-z-z which, when used in its original verbal form, means to strengthen. The noun ʿizzah means a state in which one cannot be overcome or surpassed. A piece of land is described as ʿizāz if it is strong and hard. The nominal form ʿazīz means someone who dominates but is never dominated.^{‎[3]Raghib, p. 563.}

EXPOSITION

The subsequent six verses are presenting an argument against the disbelievers who, despite being monotheistic in their belief that Allah created the universe, were polytheists regarding lordship (rubūbiyyah), meaning they believed it was their idols which played a role in the running of the world.^{‎[4]Mizan, 18/86.}

Moreover, these verses serve as a reminder of Allah’s abundant blessings to cultivate gratitude, subsequently dismantling arguments supporting the disbelievers’ false beliefs.^{‎[5]Amthal, 16/17.}

This verse addresses the Prophet and emphasises that when asked about creation, polytheists would undoubtedly acknowledge Allah as the sole creator of the universe. The use of various syntactical tools to convey emphasis highlights the widespread acceptance among polytheists of unity in creation (al-tawḥīd fī al-khāliqiyyah).^{‎[6]Munyah, 25/165.} In the Quran, this type of expression appears four times, wherein the polytheists’ acknowledgement of God’s unity in creation is emphasised (see 29:61, 31:25, and 39:38).

Some scholars have proposed that this emphasis further suggests an innate (fiṭrī) belief in God, one that is undeniable for anyone.^{‎[7]Amthal, 16/17.}

There is a point of contention among exegetes regarding whether the polytheists intrinsically understood that Allah, as the Creator, ought to be worshipped. One argument posits that while they acknowledged Allah’s role as creator, they may not have considered this as necessitating worship, either due to lingering doubts about the necessity of worshipping Allah, or because they blindly followed the belief of their ancestors without fully comprehending Allah’s role in creating.^{‎[8]Tibyan, 9/184.}

Exegetes are also divided on whether the phrase, The All-Mighty, the All-Knowing created them is a direct quotation of the disbelievers’ response. Some argue that this is not a verbatim quote, citing other verses as evidence such as, If you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth, and disposed the sun and the moon?’ They will surely say: ‘Allah’ (29:61), and, If you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say: ‘Allah’ (31:25).^{‎[9]Ibn Ashur, 25/218.}

According to this group of exegetes, the verse employs a rhetorical device, replacing Allah’s name with His attributes that the disbelievers logically ought to accept. By acknowledging that Allah created the heavens and the earth, they must also acknowledge that He is The All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. Additionally, since these polytheists believed their idols possessed power and knowledge, and that worshiping idols was merely a means to draw closer to Allah (as mentioned in 39:3), they should have conceded that Allah possesses these attributes as well.^{‎[10] Amthal, 16/17; Zamakhshari, 4/238.}

An alternative interpretation held by another group of exegetes considers the response to be verbatim, as the verse seemingly implies. Moreover, their mentioning of Allah’s name in other instances does not necessarily mean that they would do the same in this case.^{‎[11] Muhit, 9/360.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Rāzī suggests the farfetched possibility that If you ask them refers to the prophets mentioned in the previous verses, and thus the intended meaning is that this is a matter affirmed by all prophets.^{‎[12] Razi, 27/619.}

According to some, the reason why the two qualities of All-Mighty and All-Knowing are mentioned in this verse is because the idols they would worship specifically lacked these two traits.^{‎[13] Ibn Ashur, 25/218.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?^{‎[14] Job 12:9-10.}

[1] Jalalayn, 1/492.
[2] Ibn Ashur, 25/217.
[3] Raghib, p. 563.
[4] Mizan, 18/86.
[5] Amthal, 16/17.
[6] Munyah, 25/165.
[7] Amthal, 16/17.
[8] Tibyan, 9/184.
[9] Ibn Ashur, 25/218.
[10] Amthal, 16/17; Zamakhshari, 4/238.
[11] Muhit, 9/360.
[12] Razi, 27/619.
[13] Ibn Ashur, 25/218.
[14] Job 12:9-10.