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tanzīlu l-kitābi mina llāhi l-ʿazīzi l-ḥakīmi
The [gradual] sending down of the Book is from Allah, the All-mighty, All-wise.
— Ali Quli Qarai
45Al-JāthiyahالجاثيةVerse 2 of 37
The Crouching45. Al-Jāthiyahالجاثية
al-Jāthiyah
The Crouching
MeccanVerse 2 of 37
Surah al-Jathiya - Verses 1-3
1. Ha Mim.
2. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Omnipotent, the All-Wise.
3. Verily, there are signs for the believers in the heavens and the earth.
Allah is All-Wise.
His Book is full of Wisdom 2 .
His Messenger is the instructor of Wisdom 3 .
His Book and Creation are manifest, though the God fearing solely benefit from His Book.
“It is Guidance for the God fearing” 4 .
The creation may merely remind believers of their God. The Holy Qur’an constitutes the commonly used letters of alphabet and it was revealed in time. Revelation of the Book and the Law are among the greatest Divine Bounties. As a consequence, it precedes the creation of the heavens and the earth (tanzil al-kitab
“Revelation of the Book”).
In the first place, specification of the position of the Holy Qur’an should precede Its Instructions in the manner of promulgation. The textual content of the Qur’an is impervious to alterations, since it is revealed by God. Ha Mim is the Name of the Chapter. It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that Ha Mim is the greatest of Divine Names. The Name alludes to the Divine Names beginning with Ha or Mim, e.g. the Praiseworthy (Hamid), the Clement (Halim), the Living (Hayy), the Truth (Haqq), the Wise (Hakim), the Arbitrator (Hakim), the Protector (Hafid), the Guardian (Hafid), the Ruler (Malik), the Glorious (Majid), the Honorable (Majid), the Beginner (Mubdi’), the Returner (Mu’id), the Exalted (Mu’izz), the Vigilant (Muhaymin).
It is also said that Ha Mim is an oath by Divine Clemency and Sovereignty, viz. I swear by My Clemency and Sovereignty that I shall not chastise those sincerely uttering ‘There is no god save Allah.’ Some say that Ha and Mim are the two middle letters al-Rahman (“the Merciful”) and the name of Muhammad (S) alluding to the secret known by God Almighty and his Friend, Muhammad. There are other justifications for these two letters; however, since the letters of alphabet in the openings of a number of Qur’anic Chapters are, as it is well known in Islamic sources, among ambiguous Verses (mutashabihat) whose knowledge is with God Almighty and
“those firmly rooted in knowledge” (rasikhun fi al-’ilm).
The word tanzil is an infinitive used ad hoc as a past participle denoting an oath regarding the revelation of the Qur’an by God, the Omnipotent, the Dominant, the Wise, and the Beneficent through Whose Everlasting Will has established everything in order out of Wisdom such that the system of creation is flawless. According to exegets, the following Verse is substantiated by the fact that when theoretical sciences may not be proved through the five senses, i.e., any matter beyond the domain of the senses should be proven through either apriori demonstration, viz. from cause to effect, or aposteriori demonstration, viz. from effect to cause.
Since Divine Existence is Supernatural, i.e., beyond perception, unintelligible, and without cause, it is the cause of causes not necessitating apriori demonstration. As a consequence, His Existence maybe proved merely through aposteriori demonstration, viz. the perceiver should become aware of and attain certitude from effect to cause and believe in His Attributes of Glory and Beauty. Therefore, many a Qur’anic Verse prove the Existence of the Creator and attainment of certitude through the existence of the heavens and the earth.
The blessed Verse denotes that whoever, if not a materialist, has a holistic view of this vast world and the system of cosmos like the levels of heavens and the earth and the revolving confirms the truth of the former view and believes in the Omniscient and Omnipotent God, the Creator, the fountainhead of creation and the Governor and Instructor of the world. The existence of the world serves as the indubitable argument for the Existence and the Attributes of God Almighty. It is common sense to know that any building requires a builder, any created entity requires a creator, any moved entity requires a mover, and any composite entity requires a composer. All superior and inferior creatures serve as signs for believers.
Therefore, it is sufficient for the attainment of faith and belief in the Existence of the One God to have an open and enlightened mind and know His Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Wisdom through meditation on the heavens and the earth. There would be no need for philosophical arguments, even if we happen to be unaware of the manner of composition, the chain of causality, and the perfect harmony among heavenly bodies and other creatures.
“Signs for believers”
particularly denotes believers since the eyes of their hearts are open, but concupiscence has blinded those of non-believers, depriving them of perceiving the rays of light emanating from Divine Existence illuminating the worlds and rendering their eyes of the heart incapable of perceiving such light.
Footnotes