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ʿālimi l-ghaybi wa-sh-shahādati fa-taʿālā ʿammā yushrikūna
The Knower of the sensible and the Unseen, He is above having any partners that they ascribe [to Him].
— Ali Quli Qarai
23Al-Mu’minūnالمؤمنونVerse 92 of 118
The Believers23. Al-Mu’minūnالمؤمنون
Al Mu’minūn
The Believers
MeccanVerse 92 of 118
Surah al-Mu’minun - Verses 91-92
91. “No son has Allah begot, nor is there any god along with Him, else each god would have certainly taken off that which he had created, and some of them would certainly have risen up over others. Glorified be Allah above what they describe!”
92. “ (He is) the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible! So exalted be He, above what they ascribe as partners (unto Him)!”
Having belief in any kind of offspring for Allah is forbidden; (whether considering Jesus as the son of Allah or the angels or others). In the previous verses, the subject of the Resurrection and Allah’s ownership, sovefeignty and Lordship were discussed. The verses now under consideration criticize the ideological base of polytheism and state some of the deviations of the polytheists with their responses. The Qur’an answers them in these verses.
It says:
“No son has Allah begot, nor is there any god along with Him...”
The belief that Allah had begotten an offspring or some children was not limited to the Christians, who held that Jesus (as)was God's actual son. This belief was also current among some polytheists. They thought that the angels were God’s daughters and there is evidence to assume that, perhaps, the Christians had taken this concept from old polytheists. Since offspring share in the nature of their parents, they assumed that Jesus, the angels, and the like also shared in the Divine nature of God which is one of the most common characteristics of polytheism.
The verse then mentions the reason why the concept of a plurality of gods should be rejected. It implies that if Allah had had partners and more than one god had ruled over the world, each of these gods would have managed and established his control over the realm of his own creations. Consequently different parts of the universe would end up being managed under different laws and systems. This would have given rise to chaos and disorder in the universe and this does not accord with the unity of creation that we witness around us.
The Holy Qur’an says:
“No son has Allah begot, nor is there any god along with Him, else each god would have certainly taken off that which he had created, and some of them would certainly have risen up over others...”
In the end, as a general conclusion, the verse says:
“...Glorified be Allah above what they describe!”
The result of this discourse is that we can discern a unified system of laws that governs the world of existence. These laws are the same everywhere in the heavens and the earth. They are found, unchanged, regulating and governing the behaviour of the minutest sub atomic particle and the components of the solar system and other great galaxies. Indeed, if an atom is magnified, it will appear like a miniature solar system, and, on the contrary, if solar system is seen from afar it will look like an atom.
Modern researches conducted on .distant objects in space by experts from different disciplines also show that there is unity in the general order of the world. On the other side, the idea of a multiplicity of gods necessitates the existence of differences and contrasts between them, for if two objects were alike in every aspect, they would become one object and the state of multiplicity between them would be meaningless. If we suppose that the world of existence had numerous gods, this polycentrism would have an effect on the order of the universe. This would result in a lack of unity in the order of creation.
Furthermore, all beings seek to perfect themselves. This is true unless an entity is perfect in every aspect, in which case it would be meaningless for it to seek perfection. The logical conclusion of a plurality of gods, each having separate sovereignties would be that, because of the limitation of their spheres of sovereignty, they would not be perfect and each of them would naturally seek to perfect itself. Each one of them would want to bring the entire world of existence under its sovereignty, and thus they would compete with each other for dominance and plunge the order of existence into chaos and confusion.
One might counter this argument and say that if we assume that these gods were wise and merciful they would certainly be able to manage the universe cooperatively. In other words, the problem of chaos and disorder could certainly be eliminated if these gods formed a council of themselves to manage the universe. The answer to this question is not very complicated. Their wisdom does not negate their multiplicity. When we say they are multiple, it means that they are not similar to each other. Ifthey were similar in every aspect, they would have been one god.
Therefore, whenever there is multiplicity, differences and dissimilarities would certainly be found, and this would influence these gods in their actions and their managing of the universe which results chaos and confusion. Concerning this subject there is a tradition that says: One day Hisham ibn Hakam asked Imam Sadiq (as):
“What is the reason that Allah is unique and singular?”
The Imam answered:
“Because there is union and coherence in the management of the universe and the creation is perfect, as Allah, the Exalted, has said:
‘If there were therein (other) gods besides Allah, they would both (the heavens and the earth) go to ruin...’ 15 ” 16
The next verse gives another answer to these unbelievers who advance the absurdity of a multiplicity of gods. It implies that He does not know any gods that unbelievers claim, where it says:
“ (He is) the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible!...”
Allah knows all things that exist both in the visible and invisible worlds. It is therefore impossible for these unbelievers to know about the existence of another god unknown to the Creator. The content of this verse is similar to verse 18 of Sura Yunus, No. 10, where Allah says:
“...say: ‘will you inform Allah of what He does not know either in the heavens or in the earth?...”
Finally, it reduces the superstitious imaginations of the polytheists to nothing:
“...So exalted be He, above what they ascribe as partners (unto Him)!”
Similarly, the end of this verse is just like that of verse 18 of Sura Yunus, No 10. It says:
“...Glory be to Him! High be He exalted above what they associate (with Him).”
And it shows that both of the verses follow the same subject. This sentence also threatens the polytheists, for it means that Allah is aware of both their hidden and manifest secrets. He knows these arguments very well and will judge and punish them in His Court when the time comes. Concerning the phrase,
“ (He is) the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible!...”,
Imam Sadiq (as) said:
“What has not taken place is ‘the Unseen’ and what has taken place is ‘the Visible’.”
Footnotes