Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:107
Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and [that] you have not besides Allah any protector or any helper?
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
(Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and that besides Allah you have neither protector (walī) nor helper (naṣīr)?)
**The explanation of the meaning of His statement, the Exalted:** أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ (Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and that besides Allah you have neither protector nor helper?)
Abū Jaʿfar said: If someone were to say to us: "Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ then not know that Allah is capable of all things and that to Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, until this was said to him?" — then the answer is: "Indeed he did."
Some used to say: this is merely an announcement from Allah, exalted is His praise, that Muḥammad already knew this; but He cast the words in the form of an affirmation (taqrīr), as the Arabs do something similar when they address one another, where one says to his companion: "Have I not honored you? Have I not bestowed favors upon you?" in the meaning that he is informing him that he has already honored him and bestowed favors upon him, intending: "Have I not honored you? Have I not favored you?" in the meaning of: "You already know that."
He said: This, in our view, has no valid basis. That is because His statement, exalted is His praise, أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ (Do you not know) has only the meaning of: "Do you then not know." It is a particle of negation to which an interrogative particle has been added, and interrogative particles enter into speech only either with the meaning of affirmation (istithbāt) or with the meaning of negation (nafy). As for the meaning of mere affirmation, that is not known in the language of the Arabs, and all the less so when they precede particles of negation.
But this, in my opinion — even though it outwardly appears as an address directed to the Prophet ﷺ — is in reality intended for his companions, concerning whom Allah, exalted is His praise, said: لَا تَقُولُوا رَاعِنَا وَقُولُوا انْظُرْنَا وَاسْمَعُوا (Do not say "rāʿinā" but say "unẓurnā" and listen). And what indicates that it is so is His statement, exalted is His praise: وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ (and besides Allah you have neither protector nor helper); He turns the address at the end of the verse back to all of them, while He had begun its beginning with the address directed to the Prophet ﷺ through His words: أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ (Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth), because what is meant by this are those of his companions whose case I have described.
This is widespread in the language of the Arabs and eloquent among them: that the speaker casts his words in the form of an address directed to certain people, while he means others thereby; and casts them in the form of an address directed to one person, while he means a group of others thereby; or to a group, while the one addressed is one of them; and following upon that, the address to the group, while one of them is meant thereby. Of this kind is the statement of Allah, exalted is His praise: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَلَا تُطِعِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ (O Prophet, fear Allah and do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites), after which He says: وَاتَّبِعْ مَا يُوحَى إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا (and follow what is revealed to you from your Lord; verily, Allah is well-informed of what you do) (33:1-2). Thus He returned to the address of the group, while He had begun the discourse with the address directed to the Prophet ﷺ.
Comparable to this is the statement of al-Kumayt ibn Zayd in praise of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
To the shining lamp, Aḥmad — no desire nor fear turns me away from him toward another.
Even though people fixed their eyes upon me and watched me, and it was said: "You go too far" — no, I struck the target exactly.
Even though the speakers reproached or slandered me, the tongue persists in your exaltation, even though the clamor and uproar over you increase.
You are the purified, the pure, the refined in lineage, if your people accurately ascertain the descent.
Thus he cast his words in the form of an address directed to the Prophet ﷺ, while he meant thereby the people of his house (ahl al-bayt); he set forth their description and their praise by mentioning the Prophet ﷺ, and aimed at the Banū Umayya with "the reproaching speakers"; for it is known that no one is described as one who reproaches the praiser of the Prophet ﷺ and his exaltation, nor with the multiplying of clamor and uproar in speaking at length about his excellence.
And as Jamīl ibn Maʿmar said:
Verily, my neighbors depart this evening, called by the motives of love and the wide roads.
He said: "Verily, my neighbors this evening" — and thus began the report about the group of his neighbors, and then said: "departs [singular]"; for his intention, at the beginning of that with which he began his discourse, was the report about one of them and not about their entire group.
And as Jamīl likewise said in his other poem:
My two companions, as long as you have lived — have you ever seen one slain who wept out of love for his slayer before me?
He means here: "[the woman] whom I have slain", for he is describing only a woman, but he set her forth with the masculine designation while he means her.
So it is also with His statement: أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (Do you not know that Allah is capable of all things), أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ (Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth): even though the outward form of the words is that of an address directed to the Prophet ﷺ, yet his companions are meant thereby. That is clear from the indication of His statement: وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ أَمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَسْأَلُوا رَسُولَكُمْ كَمَا سُئِلَ مُوسَى مِنْ قَبْلُ (and besides Allah you have neither protector nor helper; or do you wish to question your Messenger as Mūsā was questioned before), and the three verses after it, that it is so.
As for His statement: لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ (to Him belongs the dominion [mulk] of the heavens and the earth) — and He did not say "malik (king) of the heavens" — by that He meant the dominion of sovereignty and authority (mulk al-sulṭān wa-l-mamlaka) and not the possession of ownership (al-milk). When the Arabs wish to report about the dominion that is a dominion of authority, they say: "malaka Allāhu al-khalqa mulkan (Allah has the creation in authority/dominion)"; and when they wish to report about the possession of ownership, they say: "malaka fulānun hādhā al-shayʾa fa-huwa yamlikuhu milkan wa-malakatan wa-malkan (so-and-so possesses this thing, and he owns it in ownership)."
The explanation of the verse is then: Do you not know, O Muḥammad, that to Me belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and their authority, and to none other than Me, so that I judge in both of them and in everything contained in both of them as I will, and command in both of them and in everything contained in both of them as I will, and forbid as I will, and abrogate (nasakha), change and alter of My ordinances by which I judge over My servants what I will when I will, and of them affirm and maintain what I will?
And this announcement — even though it is from Allah, mighty and exalted, an address directed to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ in the form of a report about His greatness — is from Him, exalted is His praise, at the same time a refutation of the Jews, who denied the abrogation (naskh) of the ordinances of the Torah and rejected the prophethood of ʿĪsā, and who repudiated Muḥammad ﷺ on account of the fact that both came with what they brought from Allah, with the alteration of that which Allah had altered of the judgment of the Torah. Thus Allah informed them that to Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and their authority, that the creation are the subjects of His sovereignty and obedience, that it rests upon them to listen to Him and obey His command and prohibition, and that it belongs to Him to command them what He wills and forbid them what He wills, and to abrogate what He wills and affirm what He wills, and to cause to be forgotten (insāʾ) what He wills of His ordinances, His command and His prohibition.
Then He said to His Prophet ﷺ and to the believers with him: Submit yourselves to My command and hold fast to obedience toward Me in that which I abrogate and that which I leave standing and do not abrogate of My ordinances, My prescribed punishments (ḥudūd) and My obligations; and let not the disagreement of whoever differs with you concerning My command, My prohibition, My abrogating and My abrogated ordinances disquiet you, for there is no manager of your affair besides Me, and no helper for you except Me. I am the Sole One in your protectorship (wilāya) and your defense, and the Sole One in your support through My might, My authority and My strength against whoever turns against you, opposes you and sets up the war of enmity between him and you, until I increase your proof and make it elevated for you above them.
And "al-walī" has the meaning of the form "faʿīl", derived from the statement of someone: "walaytu amra fulān" — when you become manager of someone's affair — "fa-anā alīhi", and he is "walīyuhu" (his protector) and "qayyimuhu" (his manager). Hence it is said: "so-and-so is the walī ʿahd (heir apparent) of the Muslims," by which is meant: the one entrusted with that of the affair of the Muslims which is committed to him.
And as for "al-naṣīr", that is "faʿīl", derived from your statement: "naṣartuka anṣuruka, fa-anā nāṣiruka wa-naṣīruka (I have helped you, I help you, and I am your helper)"; and he is the supporter and the strengthener.
And as for the meaning of His statement مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ (besides Allah), that is: other than Allah and after Allah. To this belongs the statement of Umayya ibn Abī al-Ṣalt:
O soul, besides Allah you have no protector, and against the vicissitudes of time there is nothing that endures.
He means: besides Allah and after Allah you have no one to protect you against adversities. The meaning of the words is then: and you have, O believers, after Allah no manager of your affair nor helper who supports and strengthens you and thus stands by you against your enemies.
