The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 89
PT. 1 R. 4. AL-BAQARAH CH. 2 E وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلُ 31. And when thy Lord said to the angels: 'I am about to place فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا a vicegerent in the earth, they مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَ يَسْفِكُ الماء said, “Wilt Thou place therein وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ W٥ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ) such as will cause disorder in it, and shed blood? and We glorify Thee with Thy praise and extol Thy holiness. ' He answered, 'I know what you know not. '37 7:130; 10:15; 15:29; 24:56; 38:27. destined for unlimited spiritual progress for which revelation is the only effective means, there was no need to create the heaven and the earth and whatever is in them for his benefit, nor were the powers and capabilities, with which he has been equipped, necessary for him. All this is to enable him to make endless progress. 37. Important Words: J (said) is a common Arabic word meaning, he said. Sometimes, however, it is used in a figurative sense when, instead of a verbal expression, a state or condition amounting to a verbal expression is meant. For example, the expression bi. e. the tank became full, and said, 'that will suffice', does not mean that the tank actually said so; it simply means that its condition implied that it was full. The word is also used in the sense of holding a view. We say ie. that man holds a view similar to that of Abū Hanifah. Again, the word is 89 sometimes used to denote something not yet spoken but still in the mind. e there is. فى نفسى قول لم اظهره :We say something in my mind which I have not yet disclosed (Lisän & Mufradāt). ملك the angels) is the plural of) الملائكة (an angel). Authorities differ as to the derivation of the word. Some derive it from but the more commonly accepted derivation is from U which is used in the sense of conveying a message, the word as meaning 'a message' (Mufradāt & Lane). This explains the object of the creation of the angels. They are meant to convey God's message to men and to execute His will in the universe. خلف vicegerent) is derived from) خليفة (Imam) امام or which means, he came after, or stood in place of. The word as is used in three different senses: (1) one who comes after and stands in the place of someone, (2) an supreme religious head and (3) a sovereign or king or ruler (Aqrab). The word is also used for one who precedes someone and is followed by him (Qadir).