Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

When the faithful party, who were few under the command of Talut, faced their enemy, who were many under the command of Jalut, قَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا (they invoked: "Our Lord! Pour forth on us patience...") meaning, send down patience on us from You. وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا (and set firm our feet) meaning, against the enemy and save us from running away and from feebleness, وَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ (and make us victorious over the disbelieving people.) Allah said: فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ (So they routed them by Allah's leave) meaning, they defeated and overwhelmed them by Allah's aid and support. Then, وَقَتَلَ دَاوُودُ جَالُوتَ (and Dawud killed Jalut) Israelite accounts claimed that (Prophet) David killed Goliath with a slingshot that he had, which he launched at Goliath causing his death. Talut promised that whoever killed Jalut, would marry his daughter and would share his kingship and authority. He kept his promise. Later, the kingship was transferred to Prophet Dawud in addition to being granted Prophethood by Allah. So, Allah said: وَآتَـهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ (...and Allah gave him (Dawud) the kingdom) that Talut had and, وَالْحِكْــمَةِ (and Al-Hikmah) that comes with the prophethood, meaning, after Shamwil. Allah then said: وَعَلَّمَهُ مِمَّا يَشَآءُ (and taught him of that which He willed.) meaning, what He willed of the knowledge that He bestowed on (Prophet) Dawud. Next, Allah said: وَلَوْلاَ دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَفَسَدَتِ الأَرْضُ (And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief.) This Ayah indicates that if it were not for the fact that Allah checks one set of people with another, such as when Talut and the bravery of Dawud helped the Children of Israel (against Goliath), then people would have perished. Similarly, Allah said: وَلَوْلاَ دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَمِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَتٌ وَمَسَـجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيراً (For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and Masjids, wherein the Name of Allah is mentioned much, would surely, have been pulled down.) (22:40) Allah then said: وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْعَـلَمِينَ (But Allah is full of bounty to the `Alamin (mankind, Jinn and all that exists)) meaning, by His mercy and favor He fixes some of them by some others. Surely, Allah has the wisdom, the supreme authority and the clear proof against His creation in all of His actions and statements. Allah said: تِلْكَ آيَـتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (These are the verses of Allah, We recite them to you (O Muhammad ) in truth, and surely, you are one of the Messengers (of Allah).) This Ayah states, `These Ayat (verses) of Allah that We have narrated for you in truth conform to the exact manner that these stories have occurred and to the truth that still remain in the (Divine) Books that the scholars of the Children of Israel have and know. Allah said: O Muhammad, وَأَنَّكَ (you are) لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (one of the Messengers (of Allah)) emphatically stating the truth of his prophethood

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

When the faithful party, who were few under the command of Talut, faced their enemy, who were many under the command of Jalut, قَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا (they invoked: "Our Lord! Pour forth on us patience...") meaning, send down patience on us from You. وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا (and set firm our feet) meaning, against the enemy and save us from running away and from feebleness, وَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ (and make us victorious over the disbelieving people.) Allah said: فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ (So they routed them by Allah's leave) meaning, they defeated and overwhelmed them by Allah's aid and support. Then, وَقَتَلَ دَاوُودُ جَالُوتَ (and Dawud killed Jalut) Israelite accounts claimed that (Prophet) David killed Goliath with a slingshot that he had, which he launched at Goliath causing his death. Talut promised that whoever killed Jalut, would marry his daughter and would share his kingship and authority. He kept his promise. Later, the kingship was transferred to Prophet Dawud in addition to being granted Prophethood by Allah. So, Allah said: وَآتَـهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ (...and Allah gave him (Dawud) the kingdom) that Talut had and, وَالْحِكْــمَةِ (and Al-Hikmah) that comes with the prophethood, meaning, after Shamwil. Allah then said: وَعَلَّمَهُ مِمَّا يَشَآءُ (and taught him of that which He willed.) meaning, what He willed of the knowledge that He bestowed on (Prophet) Dawud. Next, Allah said: وَلَوْلاَ دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَفَسَدَتِ الأَرْضُ (And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief.) This Ayah indicates that if it were not for the fact that Allah checks one set of people with another, such as when Talut and the bravery of Dawud helped the Children of Israel (against Goliath), then people would have perished. Similarly, Allah said: وَلَوْلاَ دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَمِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَتٌ وَمَسَـجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيراً (For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and Masjids, wherein the Name of Allah is mentioned much, would surely, have been pulled down.) (22:40) Allah then said: وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْعَـلَمِينَ (But Allah is full of bounty to the `Alamin (mankind, Jinn and all that exists)) meaning, by His mercy and favor He fixes some of them by some others. Surely, Allah has the wisdom, the supreme authority and the clear proof against His creation in all of His actions and statements. Allah said: تِلْكَ آيَـتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (These are the verses of Allah, We recite them to you (O Muhammad ) in truth, and surely, you are one of the Messengers (of Allah).) This Ayah states, `These Ayat (verses) of Allah that We have narrated for you in truth conform to the exact manner that these stories have occurred and to the truth that still remain in the (Divine) Books that the scholars of the Children of Israel have and know. Allah said: O Muhammad, وَأَنَّكَ (you are) لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (one of the Messengers (of Allah)) emphatically stating the truth of his prophethood

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Allah Honored Some Prophets Above Others Allah states that He has honored some Prophets to others. For instance, Allah said, وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا (And indeed, We have preferred some of the Prophets above others, and to Dawud We gave the Zabur (Psalms)) 17:55. In the Ayah above, Allah said, تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ مِّنْهُمْ مَّن كَلَّمَ اللَّهُ (Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly)) meaning, Musa and Muhammad , and also Adam according to a Hadith recorded in Sahih Ibn Hibban from Abu Dharr. وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَـتٍ (Others He raised to degrees (of honor)) as is evident in the Hadith about the Isra' journey, when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw the Prophets in the various heavens according to their rank with Allah. If somebody asks about the collective meaning of this Ayah and the Hadith that the Two Sahihs collected from Abu Hurayrah which states, "Once, a Muslim man and a Jew had an argument and the Jew said, `No, by Him Who gave Musa superiority over all human beings!' Hearing him, the Muslim man raised his hand and slapped the Jew on his face and said, `Over Muhammad too, O evil one!' The Jew went to the Prophet and complained to him and the Prophet said, «لَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يَصْعَقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُفِيقُ، فَأَجِدُ مُوسَى بَاطِشًا بِقَائِمَةِ الْعَرْشِ، فَلَا أَدْرِي أَفَاقَ قَبْلِي أَمْ جُوزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّورِ؟ فَلَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاء» (Don't give me superiority above the Prophets, for the people will become unconscious on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Musa holding on to the pillar of Allah's Throne. I will not know whether the unconsciousness Musa suffered on the Day of the Trumpet sufficed for him, or if he got up before me. So, do not give me superiority above the Prophets.) In another narration, the Prophet said, (Do not give superiority to some Prophets above others.) The answer to this question is that this Hadith prohibits preferring some Prophets above others in cases of dispute and argument, such as the incident mentioned in the Hadith. The Hadith indicates that it is not up to creation to decide which Prophet is better, for this is Allah's decision. The creation is only required to submit to, obey and believe in Allah's decision. Allah's statement, وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَـتِ (And We gave `Isa, the son of Maryam, clear signs) refers to the proofs and unequivocal evidences that testify to the truth that `Isa delivered to the Children of Israel, thus testifying that he was Allah's servant and His Messenger to them. وَأَيَّدْنَـهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ (And supported him with Ruh-il-Qudus) meaning Allah aided `Isa with Jibil, peace be upon him. Allah then said, وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخْتَلَفُواْ فَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلُواْ (If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed ـ some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another.) meaning all this happened by Allah's decree, and this is why He said next, وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ (But Allah does what He wills.)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Allah commands His servants to spend for His sake, in the path of righteousness, from what He has granted them, so that they acquire and keep the reward of this righteous deed with their Lord and King. Let them rush to perform this deed in this life, مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌ (before a Day comes) meaning, the Day of Resurrection, لاَّ بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلاَ خُلَّةٌ وَلاَ شَفَـعَةٌ (when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession.) This Ayah indicates that on that Day, no one will be able to bargain on behalf of himself or ransom himself with any amount, even if it was the earth's fill of gold; nor will his friendship or relation to anyone benefit him. Similarly, Allah said, فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى الصُّورِ فَلاَ أَنسَـبَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلاَ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ (Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another) 23:101. وَلاَ شَفَـعَةٌ (Nor intercession) meaning, they will not benefit by the intercession of anyone. Allah's statement, وَالْكَـفِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّـلِمُونَ (and it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers) indicates that no injustice is worse than meeting Allah on that Day while a disbeliever. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Ata' bin Dinar said, "All thanks are due to Allah Who said, وَالْكَـفِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّـلِمُونَ (and it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers) but did not say, `And it is the wrongdoers who are the disbelievers."'

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Virtue of Ayat Al-Kursi This is Ayat Al-Kursi and tremendous virtues have been associated with it, for the authentic Hadith describes it as `the greatest Ayah in the Book of Allah.' Imam Ahmad recorded that `Ubayy bin Ka`b said that the Prophet asked him about the greatest Ayah in the Book of Allah, and `Ubayy answered, "Allah and His Messenger know better." When the Prophet repeated his question several times, `Ubayy said, "Ayat Al-Kursi." The Prophet commented, «لِيَهْنِكَ الْعِلْمُ أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّ لَهَا لِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ، تُقَدِّسُ الْمَلِكَ عِنْدَ سَاقِ الْعَرْش» (Congratulations for having knowledge, O Abu Al-Mundhir! By He in Whose Hand is my soul! This Ayah has a tongue and two lips with which she praises the King (Allah) next to the leg of the Throne.) This Hadith was also collected by Muslim, but he did not include the part that starts with, "By He in Whose Hand..." Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Ayyub said that he had some dates and a Ghoul used to take some, and he complained to the Prophet. The Prophet said to him, "When you see her, say, `In the Name of Allah, answer to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ'." Abu Ayyub said that when she came again, he said these words and he was able to grab her. She begged, "I will not come again," so Abu Ayyub released her. Abu Ayyub went to the Prophet and the Prophet asked him, "What did your prisoner do" Abu Ayyub said, "I grabbed her and she said twice, `I will not come again,' and I released her." The Prophet said, "She will come back." Abu Ayyub said, "So I grabbed her twice or three times, yet each time I would release her when she vowed not to come back. I would go to the Prophet who would ask me, `What is the news of your prisoner' I would say, `I grabbed her, then released her when she said that she would not return.' The Prophet would say that she would return. Once, I grabbed her and she said, `Release me and I will teach you something to recite so that no harm touches you, that is, Ayat Al-Kursi.' Abu Ayyub went to the Prophet and told him, and the Prophet said, "She is liar, but she told the truth." At-Tirmidhi recorded this Hadith in the chapter of the virtues of the Qur'an and said, "Hasan Gharib." In Arabic, `Ghoul' refers to the Jinn when they appear at night. Al-Bukhari recorded a similar story in his Sahih from Abu Hurayrah, in the chapters on the virtues of the Qur'an and the description of Shaytan. In this narration, Abu Hurayrah said, "Allah's Messenger ﷺ assigned me to keep watch over the Sadaqah (charity) of Ramadan. A person snuck in and started taking handfuls of foodstuff. I caught him and said, `By Allah, I will take you to Allah's Messenger ﷺ.' He said, `Release me, for I am meek and have many dependents and am in great need.' I released him, and in the morning Allah's Messenger ﷺ asked me, `What did your prisoner do yesterday, O Abu Hurayrah' I said, `O Allah's Messenger ﷺ! He complained of being needy and of having many dependents, so I pitied him and let him go.' Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, `Indeed, he told you a lie and will be coming again.' I believed that he would show up again, for Allah's Messenger ﷺ had told me that he would return. So, I watched for him. When he (showed up and) started stealing handfuls of foodstuff, I caught hold of him again and said, `I will definitely take you to Allah's Messenger ﷺ.' He said, `Leave me, for I am very needy and have many dependents. I promise I will not come back again.' I pitied him and let him go. In the morning Allah's Messenger ﷺ asked me, `What did your prisoner do last night, O Abu Hurayrah!' I replied, `O Allah's Messenger ﷺ! He complained of his great need and of too many dependents, so I took pity on him and set him free.' Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, `Verily, he told you a lie; he will return.' I waited for him attentively for the third time, and when he (came and) started stealing handfuls of the foodstuff, I caught hold of him and said, `I will surely take you to Allah's Messenger ﷺ as it is the third time you promised not to return, yet you returned.' He said, `Let me teach you some words which Allah will give you benefit from.' I asked, `What are they' He replied, `Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat Al-Kursi- Allahu la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum, till you finish the whole verse. (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no Shaytan will come near you until morning.' So, I released him. In the morning, Allah's Messenger ﷺ asked, `What did your prisoner do yesterday' I replied, `O Allah's Messenger ﷺ! He claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah will grant me some benefit, so I let him go.' Allah's Messenger ﷺ asked, `What are they' I replied, `He said to me: Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat Al-Kursi from the beginning to the end, Allahu la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum. He further said to me: (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no Shaytan will come near you until morning.' (One of the narrators) then commented that they (the Companions) were very keen to do good deeds. The Prophet said, `He spoke the truth, although he is a liar. Do you know whom you were talking to, these three nights, O Abu Hurayrah' Abu Hurayrah said, `No.' He said, `It was Shaytan."' An-Nasa'i also recorded this Hadith in Al-Yawm wa Al-Laylah. Allah's Greatest Name is in Ayat Al-Kursi Imam Ahmad recorded that Asma' bint Yazid bin As-Sakan said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say about these two Ayat, اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ (Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists) 2:255, and, الم - اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ (Alif-Lam-Mim. Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists) 3:1-2, «إِنَّ فِيهِمَا اسْمَ اللهِ الْأَعْظَم» (They contain Allah's Greatest Name.) This is also the narration collected by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, and At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih". Further, Ibn Marduwyah recorded that Abu Umamah reported that the Prophet said, «اسْمُ اللهِ الْأَعْظَمُ، الَّذِي إِذَا دُعِيَ بِهِ أَجَابَ، فِي ثَلَاثٍ: سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ وَآلِ عِمْرَانَ وَطه» (Allah's Greatest Name, if He was supplicated with it, He answers the supplication, is in three Surahs - Al-Baqarah, Al `Imran and Ta-Ha.) Hisham bin `Ammar, the Khatib (orator) of Damascus (one of the narrators in the above narration), said, "As for Al-Baqarah, it is in, اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ (Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists) 2:255; in Al `Imran, it is in, الم - اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ (Alif-Lam-Mim. Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists) 3:1-2, while in Ta-Ha, it is in, وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ الْقَيُّومِ (And (all) faces shall be humbled before (Allah), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists) 20:111." Ayat Al-Kursi has Ten Complete Arabic Sentences 1. Allah's statement, اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ (Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He) mentions that Allah is the One and Only Lord of all creation. 2. Allah's statement, الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ (Al-Hayyul-Qayyum) testifies that Allah is the Ever Living, Who never dies, Who sustains everyone and everything. All creation stands in need of Allah and totally relies on Him, while He is the Most Rich, Who stands in need of nothing created. Similarly, Allah said, وَمِنْ ءَايَـتِهِ أَن تَقُومَ السَّمَآءُ وَالاٌّرْضُ بِأَمْرِهِ (And among His signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His command) 30:25. 3. Allah's statement, لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ (Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him) means, no shortcoming, unawareness or ignorance ever touches Allah. Rather, He is aware of, and controls what every soul earns, has perfect watch over everything, nothing escapes His knowledge, and no secret matter is secret to Him. Among His perfect attributes, is the fact that He is never effected by slumber or sleep. Therefore, Allah's statement, لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ (Neither slumber overtakes Him) indicates that no unawareness due to slumber ever overtakes Allah. Allah said afterwards, وَلاَ نَوْمٌ (nor sleep), which is stronger than slumber. It is recorded in the Sahih that Abu Musa said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ delivered a speech regarding four words: «إِنَّ اللهَللهَلا يَنَامُ، وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَنَامَ، يَخْفِضُ الْقِسْطَ وَيَرْفَعُهُ، يُرْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ عَمَلُ النَّهَارِ قَبْلَ عَمَلِ اللَّيْلِ، وَعَمَلُ اللَّيْلِ قَبْلَ عَمَلِ النَّهَارِ، حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ أَوِ النَّارُ لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لَأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهَى إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِه» (Allah does not sleep, and it does not befit His majesty that He sleeps. He lowers the scales and raises them. The deeds of the day are resurrected in front of Him before the deeds of the night, and the deeds of the night before the deeds of the day. His Veil is light, or fire, and if He removes it, the rays from His Face would burn whatever His sight reaches of His creation.) 4. Allah's statement, لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَـوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الاٌّرْضِ (To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth) indicates that everyone is a servant for Allah, a part of His kingdom and under His power and authority. Similarly, Allah said, إِن كُلُّ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِلاَّ آتِى الرَّحْمَـنِ عَبْداً - لَّقَدْ أَحْصَـهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدّاً - وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ فَرْداً (There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Gracious (Allah) as a servant. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender)) 19:93-95. 5. Allah's statement, مَن ذَا الَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ (Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission) is similar to His statements, وَكَمْ مِّن مَّلَكٍ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ لاَ تُغْنِى شَفَـعَتُهُمْ شَيْئاً إِلاَّ مِن بَعْدِ أَن يَأْذَنَ اللَّهُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَرْضَى (And there are many angels in the heavens, whose intercession will avail nothing except after Allah has given leave for whom He wills and is pleased with) 53:26, and, وَلاَ يَشْفَعُونَ إِلاَّ لِمَنِ ارْتَضَى (They cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased) 21:28. These Ayat assert Allah's greatness, pride, and grace, and that no one dares to intercede with Him on behalf of anyone else, except by His permission. Indeed, the Hadith about the intercession, states that the Prophet said, «آتِي تَحْتَ الْعَرْشِ فَأَخِرُّ سَاجِدًا، فَيَدَعُنِي مَا شَاءَ اللهُ أَنْ يَدَعَنِي. ثُمَّ يُقَالُ: ارْفَعْ رَأْسَكَ، وَقُلْ تُسْمَعْ، وَاشْفَعْ تُشَفَّعْ قَالَ: فَيَحُدُّ لِي حَدًّا فَأُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّة» (I will stand under the Throne and fall in prostration, and Allah will allow me to remain in that position as much as He wills. I will thereafter be told, "Raise your head, speak and you will be heard, intercede and your intercession will be accepted". The Prophet then said, "He will allow me a proportion whom I will enter into Paradise.") 6. Allah's statement, يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ (He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter) this refers to His perfect knowledge of all creation; its past, present and future. Similarly, Allah said that the angels proclaimed; وَمَا نَتَنَزَّلُ إِلاَّ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّكَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا وَمَا خَلْفَنَا وَمَا بَيْنَ ذلِكَ وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيّاً (And we (angels) descend not except by the command of your Lord (O Muhammad ). To Him belongs what is before us and what is behind us, and what is between those two; and your Lord is never forgetful) 19:64. 7. Allah's statement, وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَآءَ (And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills), asserts the fact that no one attains any part of Allah's knowledge except what Allah conveys and allows. This part of the Ayah indicates that no one ever acquires knowledge of Allah and in His Attributes, except what He conveys to them. For instance, Allah said, وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِهِ عِلْماً (But they will never compass anything of His knowledge) 20: 110. 8. Allah said, وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَـوَاتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ (His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth.) Waki` narrated in his Tafsir that Ibn `Abbas said, "Kursi is the footstool, and no one is able to give due consideration to Allah's Throne." Al-Hakim recorded this Hadith in his Mustadrak from Ibn `Abbas, who did not relate it to the Prophet . Al-Hakim said, "It is Sahih according to the criteria of the Two Sahihs, and they (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it." In addition, Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn `Abbas said, "If the seven heavens and the seven earths were flattened and laid side by side, they would add up to the size of a ring in a desert, compared to the Kursi." 9. Allah said, وَلاَ يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا (And He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them) meaning, it does not burden or cause Him fatigue to protect the heavens and earth and all that is in between them. Rather, this is an easy matter for Him. Further, Allah sustains everything, has perfect watch over everything, nothing ever escapes His knowledge and no matter is ever a secret to Him. All matters are insignificant, modest and humble before Him. He is the Most Rich, worthy of all praise. He does what He wills, and no one can ask Him about what He does, while they will be asked. He has supreme power over all things and perfect alertness concerning everything. He is the Most High, the Greatest, there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, and no Lord other than Him. 10. Allah's statement, وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْعَظِيمُ (And He is the Most High, the Most Great) is similar to His statement, الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ (the Most Great, the Most High) 13:9. These and similar Ayat and authentic Hadiths about Allah's Attributes must be treated the way the Salaf (righteous ancestors) treated them by accepting their apparent meanings without equating them with the attributes of the creation or altering their apparent meanings.