The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 401
PT. 7 AL-AN'ĀM CH. 6 b وَهُوَ اللهُ فِي السَّمَوتِ وَ فِي الْأَرْضِ And He is Allah, the God. 4 both in the heavens and in the يَعْلَمُ سِرَّكُمْ وَجَهْرَكُمْ وَيَعْلَمُ earth. He knows your inside and مَا تَكْسِبُونَ ) وَمَا تَأْتِيْهِمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ مِّنْ أَيْتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا And there comes not to them. 5 كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ your outside. And He knows what you earn. 751 b. any Sign of the Signs of their Lord, but they turn away from it. 752 فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فَسَوْفَ So they rejected the truth. 6 when it came to them; but soon 751. Commentary: a43:85. 21:3; 26:6; 36:47. º26:7. The words, both in the heavens and in the earth, do not mean that God's person pervades the heavens and the earth. What is meant is that the knowledge and power of God comprehend the entire universe. The Quran itself explains this by the words that follow, i. e. He knows your inside and your outside. The latter part of the verse points out that a being cannot be looked upon as perfect if his knowledge or power is defective. But such is not the case with God. Both His knowledge and power are perfect. This is what is hinted in the words, He knows what you earn, which convey a twofold idea: (1) that God is All-Knowing and (2) that He will requite men according to their deeds which, in other words, means that He is All-Powerful. Hence, as both the knowledge and power of God are perfect, it follows that God is perfect, knowing everything and possessing 841 the power of doing everything. So He does not stand in need of entrusting and taking them as His helpers or co- any part of His work to other beings partners. Again, the above-quoted words also show that it is God Who punishes evil. Now, when the punishment of evil is from God, it is foolish to think that the God of evil must be some other being. 752. Commentary: An important evidence of the knowledge and power of God are the prophecies which He reveals to His Messengers and the aid and help which He vouchsafes them against overwhelming odds. These are called signs here. Thus, in order to prove the perfect knowledge and power of God, the verse refers to the powerful signs which God was showing to demonstrate the truth of the Holy Prophet and the wonderful way in which He was helping him.