278. Irrespective of the number of gods or objects of worship set up by ignorant people, the fact remains that godhead in its entirety, belongs exclusively to the Eternal Being, Who is indebted to no one for His existence. In fact, He is not only self-existent, but upon Him rests the entire order of the universe. He alone wields all sovereign authority over His dominion. None shares either His attributes or His power and might, and no one has the same claims against the creatures as He. Hence, if anywhere in the heavens or the earth someone sets up anything or anybody as an object of worship and service (ilah) either instead of or in addition to the One True God this amounts to declaring war on reality.
279. This is a refutation of the ideas of those who, in formulating their concepts of God, are inclined to consider God analogous to their own imperfect selves and hence ascribe to God the weaknesses characteristic of human beings. An instance at hand is the famous Biblical statement that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day He rested (see Genesis, chapters 1 and 2).
280. To God belongs the heavens and the earth and everything therein. There is no one who shares anything with God in governance either of the heavens or of the earth. Any conceivable being other than God would necessarily be a part of the universe and thus belong to, and be a subject of, God rather than His partner and equal.
281.This is a refutation of the ideas of those polytheists who consider either saints, angels or other beings to be so influential with God that if they were adamant in demanding something of Him, their demand would prevail. They are being told that, far from anyone having the power to impose his will on God, none - not even the greatest Prophets and the most highly esteemed angels - will dare utter one word in the majestic court of the Lord unless they are expressly permitted to do so.
282. Here another blow is struck against polytheism. On the basis of the concept of God's unlimited sovereignty and omnipotence it was stressed, in the foregoing verses, that no one shares independently in God's governance of the universe, and no one is so powerful with God that his intercession would decisively influence His judgement. The same point is stressed here but in a different manner. It is pointed out that no one possesses the knowledge that would enable him to comprehend the order of the universe and the considerations underlying it, so no one can legitimately interfere in its governance. The knowledge of human beings, of jinn, of angels and of all other creatures is limited and imperfect. No one's knowledge embraces all the facts of the universe. If someone did have the right to interfere even in only a part of the universe, and if his suggestions were of necessity to be put into effect, the entire order of the universe would be disrupted. Creatures are incapable of understanding what is best for them, and do not have the capacity to know how best the universe should be governed. It is God alone Who knows everything.
283. The Arabic term kursi signifies sovereignty, dominion and authority.
(The word Kursi has been variously interpreted by Muslim scholars. The literal
meaning is obvious; it signifies that which one sits on. Scholars have differed,
however, as to whether the word has been used in the Qur'an literally or figuratively.
They have also disagreed whether the Kursi and 'Arsh Which occur in the Qur'an
have one and the same meaning or are different. The main opinions expressed
by the scholars are the following: (i) that Kursi signifies God's knowledge,
a view attributed to Ibn 'Abbas; (ii) that it is identical with 'Arsh (Throne),
a view attributed to Hasan al-Basri; (iii) that it signifies God's power (iv
) in opposition to such views a large number of scholars insist that Kursi should
be considered a reality rather than be understood figuratively. In addition
to many earlier scholars, this was vigorously championed by Ibn Taymiyah. It
should be remembered, however, that Ibn Taymiyah and others who hold this opinion,
side by side with affirming that Kursi is a reality, also emphasize that man
has no knowledge about the nature and modality of Kursi and that it ought to
be treated as something unique, being related to God Who is unique both in His
essence and attributes. (See the commentaries of Alusi. Tabari, Qurtubi, Ibn
Kathir and Shawkani on this verse. See also Ibn Taymiyah, Majmu al-Fatawa 1bn
Taymiyah, vol. 5, pp. 55-8 and vol. 6, pp. 584-5. It is interesting to note
that Sayyid Qutb, (martyred 1386 A.H/966 C.E.), a contemporary of Mawdudi and
one of the most influential Islamic thinkers of our time, has interpreted the
verse exactly, as Mawdudi did - Ed.)
284. This verse is generally known as the 'Verse of the Throne' and it provides
in one piece a knowledge of God without parallel.
The question that arises here is: What is the occasion for describing the Lord
of the Universe and His attributes? In order to appreciate this one should rehearse
the discourse beginning with( verse 243) and continuing up to this point. In this
discourse the believers were urged to strive with their lives and belongings
to establish the true faith and were warned to get rid of the weaknesses which
had characterized the conduct of the Israelites. A fundamental fact about war
- that victory and success do not depend upon superiority in either numbers
or weapons - was then indicated. They depend rather on faith, fortitude, discipline
and firm resolution. Thereafter the Divine wisdom underlying fighting was disclosed,
namely that God removes one set of people by means of another in order to maintain
the good administration of the world. For were one group's dominance to be assured
in perpetuity, the lives of all other human beings mould become miserable.
This was followed by the clarification of a misunderstanding which often arises
in the minds of ignorant people. This misunderstanding arose from the false
assumption that God had sent His Prophets so that all diversity and disagreement
might come to an end. The people who accepted this premise, however, saw considerable
diversity and disagreement, and were aware that falsehood existed side by side
with Truth. They were agitated by the thought that this state of affairs might
suggest helplessness on God's part, that He had failed to stamp out the evils
He wanted to. In reply to this it was pointed out that it was not God's will
to compel all human beings to follow one and the same way. Had it been so, man
could not have deviated from the course set for him by God. This observation
was followed by a passing reference to the subject with which the discourse
opened. Finally, the point is made that no matter how many divergent beliefs,
viewpoints, ways of life and conduct exist in actual life, the reality underlying
the order of the universe is the one stated in this verse, and it remains unaffected
by the misconceptions of people. On the other hand, however, it is not God's
purpose to compel people to accept it. Whoever accepts it will find it to his
own benefit; whoever rejects it, will find the result harmful.