Quran Garden

Session 280

Chapter 2

Verse 255

a continuation

Allah: there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Ever Watchful. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His seat encompasses the heavens and the earth; it does not weary Him to preserve them both. He is the Most High, the Tremendous. (Chapter 2: Verse 255)

             Let’s examine the phrase: ‘His seat encompasses the heavens and the earth.’  When you read the Quran, you come across many words used to describe God that can also apply to us.  For example: God is alive, and you are alive.  But is your life similar to His?  God has knowledge and so do you.  Is your knowledge like His?  God sees and hears, and you see and hear, but do your hearing and sight resemble His? Of course not! Thus, when you read any description of God, whether in attributes or actions, do not compare it to your attributes and actions.  Do not regard these descriptions with your human logic and worldly understanding, rather, always remember the following verses:

'There is nothing whatever like Him' (from 48:10)

And in another chapter:

Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Might, beyond anything they describe. (37:180)

             When you read a verse talking about ‘God’s hand’ then remember, just as God’s life is not like yours, just as God’s knowledge is nothing like yours, so is His hand; it is nothing like yours.  Similarly, when you read: ‘His seat encompasses the heavens and the earth,’ think of it in the frame of 'There is nothing whatever like Him.'  Do not say that God has a chair and He sits in it as you and I do. 

Even time and place do not apply to God.  How, you may ask? We answer that a place is where an event happens, and time is how long an event or action takes.  For example, if I tell you that I ate a sandwich, then you can ask: ‘when and where did you eat?’  You can ask about time and place when an event happens and something changes.  God, on the other hand, is ever-constant.  His attributes never change.  God is ever-existent; He is the ever-living; there is neither a beginning nor an end to God.  Thus, time and place do not apply to Him.  Time and place are two of God’s creations.  And since there is no time or place for God; you cannot explain the phrase ‘His seat encompasses the heavens and the earth’ based on your understanding of a place to sit, or a time to sit.          

             Some scholars tried to avoid the topic of God’s physical attributes all-together.  For example, verses such as: ‘Those who pledge loyalty to you are actually pledging loyalty to God Himself- God’s hand is placed on theirs’ (from 48:10) were explained as God’s ability and power rather than God’s hand.  We answer that since Allah used the description: ‘God’s hand,’ then we should accept it as He intended.  God is best aware of His divine being and the words He uses in the Quran.  We accept these descriptions just as God intended and within the frame of: 'There is nothing whatever like Him.'

             In the verse under study, the word ‘seat’ carries many meanings.  A seat or a chair indicates power and control.  We sit after our work is done, and everything is just as we want it to be.  We do not sit if there is chaos around, or if there are tasks still need to be done.  A chair or a seat also represents authority.  We use the expression ‘The Seat of Power’ to refer to the highest government or corporate positions.  A seat also represents structure and stability. 

             The verse continues: ‘His seat encompasses the heavens and the earth.’  To encompass something is to contain it and surround it from all directions.  Take a moment to look around you, look at your city, and look at the sky, the sun, the moon, and all the stars.  The universe is the largest thing we know.  God says:

The creation of the heavens and earth is greater by far than the creation of mankind, though most people do not know it. (40:57)

             Yet, all that you see and everything the science of astronomy has revealed are well within God’s seat.  He says: ‘His seat encompasses the heavens and the earth.’  Prophet Muhammad gave us some clues of the unimaginable vastness and majesty of God’s creation.  Abu Thar –one of the Prophet's close companions- asked Prophet Muhammad about God’s words: ‘His seat encompasses the heavens and the earth.’  He, peace be upon him, answered: ‘O Abu Thar.  The seven heavens in relation to the seat of God are like a ring in a desert.  And the seat of God in relation to the throne of God is like a ring in a desert.’         

              Even with all the recent leaps in modern science, we are still in the immediate vicinity of earth.  When we measure distance in space, miles and kilometers are too small to use.  A light-year is the unit astronomers use to measure distance.  It is the distance a beam of light travels in one year.  One light-year equals about six trillion miles.  The moon is mere light-seconds away from the earth.  Mars and the sun are a few light-minutes away.  That is as far humanity has traveled.  But we know that there are stars that are thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of light-years away.  Keep in mind that all the stars that you see, study and know about are in the lowest heaven.  Allah created seven heavens.  The vastness of His creation is beyond comprehension. 

Here is something interesting to consider.  God says:  

So race for your Lord’s forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers: that is God’s bounty, which He bestows on whoever He pleases. God’s bounty is infinite. (57:21)

             Paradise, which God has prepared for you, is as wide as the heavens and earth.  As you well know, width is the lesser of two dimensions.  Length is longer.  How long is paradise? Only God knows.  This is the ultimate reward that is worth working hard for day in and day out. 

             The verse continues: ‘it does not weary Him to preserve them both.’  To weary is to tire or to be overburdened.  For example, if you can carry 15Kgs, and I give you 17Kgs to hold, you may feel a little strained.  But, if I give you 30Kgs to carry, then you would feel overburdened; your back would arch, and you may drop the weight.  God, on the other hand, does not tire nor strain with the care of the heavens and earth.  He says:

Indeed Allah sustains the heavens and the earth lest they should fall apart, and if they were to fall apart there is none who can sustain them except Him. Indeed He is all-forbearing, all-forgiving. (35:41)

God is the One –the only One- who holds the universe in its magnificent balance.   He alone keeps the universe, and He alone is capable of ending existence.  Thus, with all that we learned in this verse, it is only logical to end with God’s words: ‘He is the Most High, the Tremendous.’