The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 8
CH. 10 YŪNUS mission by the Holy Prophet, show that its triumph is doubtful, or that its foundations have not been laid by God? Divine works are brought about through a perfectly planned system and often have their bases hidden from the human eye. It appears from this and other verses of the Quran that it is a law of God, working both in the physical and the spiritual world, that all things find their completion and consummation at the seventh stage. They pass through six stages of development and then become perfect and complete at the seventh stage. The movement set on foot by the Holy Prophet was likewise to pass through six stages of development and was to see its completion in the seventh stage and so it actually came to pass (for details and fuller discussion see Tafsir-e-Kabir by Hadrat Khalifatul Masīḥ II, under 10:4). The words, then He settled Himself on the Throne, point to the fact that, just as after the creation of the physical universe, God settled Himself on the Throne and all its affairs began to be conducted through the set laws of nature, so, after the establishment of Islam on earth, all spiritual progress will be attainable only through Islam. The words, He governs everything, have been added to show how God governs the universe and conducts its affairs. Elsewhere the Quran says, When He decrees a thing He does only say to it, 'Be' and it is (2:118). These words do not mean that after God ordains a certain thing, it at once PT. 11 comes into being in its full-fledged form and that there is no intervening period between God's decree and the coming into being of the decreed thing in its fully developed form. It only means that when God decrees a thing, nothing can stop its fulfilment. Indeed, God's decree is often fulfilled in subtle ways. The words, He governs everything, thus point to the working of the universe and to the means which God uses to fulfil His decree and will. For, as explained under Important Words. (governing) gives a number of meanings including consideration or, performance of a thing with a well thought-out and planned regulation. تدبير The word (Throne), for which see 7:55, needs some explanation. On careful consideration of all relevant verses and facts it becomes clear that this word represents the transcendent attributes of God, i. e. such attributes as are not found in any other being and are technically known as a. These attributes are eternal and unchangeable and are manifested through God's other attributes known i. e. such attributes as are صفات تشبيهية as found more or less in other beings also. The former attributes are said to be the bearers of the (Throne). In 69:18, we read that eight (attributes) shall bear the Throne of the Lord above them on that day. The number "eight" in this verse refers to the eight attributes through which God will manifest Himself on the Day of Judgement, just as He is manifesting Himself through His four attributes (mentioned in 1:2-4) in the present world. These four attributes, which 1216