Tafseer of The Cattle · Al-An'aam · 6:12
Say, "To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth?" Say, "To Allah." He has decreed upon Himself mercy. He will surely assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. Those who will lose themselves [that Day] do not believe.
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.
The statement concerning the explanation of His saying: قُلْ لِمَنْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ قُلْ لِلَّهِ كَتَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ ("Say: To whom belongs what is in the heavens and the earth? Say: To Allah. He has prescribed mercy upon Himself.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: "Say" — O Muḥammad — to these who ascribe associates to their Lord: "To whom belongs what is in the heavens and the earth?", that is to say: to whom belongs the dominion over what is in the heavens and the earth? Then He informs them that this belongs to Allah, who has made all things His servants and has overwhelmed all things through His dominion and His power — and not to the idols and the associates (andād), nor to that which they worship and take as a deity among the idols which possess no benefit for themselves and ward off no harm from themselves.
And His saying: "He has prescribed mercy upon Himself", that is to say: He has decreed that He is merciful (raḥīm) towards His servants, that He does not hasten the punishment against them, and that He accepts from them the return and the repentance.
And this, from Allah, whose praise is mentioned, is an incitement to compassion for those who have turned away from Him, so that they would turn to Him in repentance.
The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: these who ascribe associates to Me and deny your prophethood, O Muḥammad — if they repent and turn to Me, then I accept their repentance, for I have decreed for My creatures that My mercy encompasses all things. As in what follows:
13096 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Dhakwān, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "When Allah had finished with the creation, He wrote a writing: 'Verily, My mercy has preceded My wrath.'"
13097 — Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Abū ʿUthmān, on the authority of Salmān, who said: When Allah, whose praise is mentioned, created the heaven and the earth, He created one hundred mercies, each mercy of which fills the entire space between the heaven and the earth. With Him are ninety-nine mercies, and one mercy He has distributed among the creatures. By it they show affection to one another, and by it the wild beasts and the birds drink the water. Then when that Day arrives, Allah restricts it to the God-fearing and adds to it for them ninety-nine.
13098 — Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Ibn Abī ʿAdī related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd, on the authority of Abū ʿUthmān, on the authority of Salmān, in a similar manner — except that Ibn Abī ʿAdī did not mention in his narration: "and by it the wild beasts and the birds drink the water".
13099 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of ʿĀṣim ibn Sulaymān, on the authority of Abū ʿUthmān, on the authority of Salmān, who said: We find in the Torah two expressions of compassion: that Allah created the heavens and the earth, and then created one hundred mercies — or: established one hundred mercies — before He created the creation. Then He created the creation and placed among them one mercy, and withheld with Himself ninety-nine mercies. He said: by it they show mercy to one another, by it they give to one another, by it they show affection to one another, by it they visit one another, by it the she-camel yearns (for her young), by it the cow lows, by it the sheep bleats, by it the birds follow one another, and by it the fish follow one another in the sea. Then when the Day of Resurrection arrives, Allah joins that mercy together with what is with Him. And His mercy is more excellent and more encompassing.
13100 — al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim ibn Sulaymān, on the authority of Abū ʿUthmān al-Nahdī, on the authority of Salmān, concerning His saying: "He has prescribed mercy upon Himself", the verse — he said: We find in the Torah two expressions of compassion — then he mentioned something similar, except that he said: "and by it the birds follow one another, and by it the fish follow one another in the sea".
13101 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, saying: Ibn Ṭāwūs said, on the authority of his father: When Allah, whose praise is mentioned, created the creation, no thing showed affection to another thing, until He created one hundred mercies and placed among them one mercy, whereupon a part of the creation showed affection to another part.
13102 — al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Ibn Ṭāwūs, on the authority of his father, the same.
13103 — Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, saying: and al-Ḥakam ibn Abān informed me, on the authority of ʿIkrima — I think that he traced it back [to the Prophet] — he said: When Allah, mighty and exalted is He, has finished with the judgment between His creatures, He brings forth a writing from beneath the Throne, in which is written: "Verily, My mercy has preceded My wrath, and I am the Most Merciful of the merciful." He said: then there come out of the Fire as many as the people of Paradise — or he said: "twice the people of Paradise"; I do not know other than that he said "twice", while concerning "as many" I have no doubt — and here is written (and al-Ḥakam pointed to his throat) "the freedmen of Allah". Then a man said to ʿIkrima: O Abū ʿAbd Allah, but does not Allah say: يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنْهَا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ [Sūra al-Māʾida: 37] ("They wish to come out of the Fire, but they will not come out of it, and for them is a lasting punishment")? He said: Woe to you! Those are its inhabitants who are truly its inhabitants.
13104 — al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of al-Ḥakam ibn Abān, on the authority of ʿIkrima — I think that he traced it back [to the Prophet] — he said: When the Day of Resurrection arrives, Allah brings forth a writing from beneath the Throne — then he mentioned something similar, except that he said: Then a man said: O Abū ʿAbd Allah, what do you say of His saying: يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ ("They wish to come out of the Fire") — and the rest of the narration is like the narration of Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā.
13105 — al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Hammām ibn Munabbih, who said: I heard Abū Hurayra say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When Allah had completed the creation, He wrote in a writing that is with Him above the Throne: 'Verily, My mercy has preceded My wrath.'"
13106 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Abū Ayyūb, on the authority of ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr: that he used to say: Verily, to Allah belong one hundred mercies. He sent down one mercy to the people of this world, by which the jinn and mankind, the birds of the heaven, the fish of the water, the beasts of the earth and its creeping things, and what is between the air, show mercy to one another. And He withheld with Himself ninety-nine mercies, until, when the Day of Resurrection arrives, He draws back to Himself the mercy which He had sent down to the people of this world, and joins it together with what is with Him, and places it in the hearts of the people of Paradise and over the people of Paradise.
13107 — al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, who said: ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr said: Verily, to Allah belong one hundred mercies, of which He sent down one to the earth, by which the jinn and mankind, the birds, the cattle and the creeping things of the earth show mercy to one another.
13108 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAwf related to us, saying: Abū al-Mughīra ʿAbd al-Quddūs ibn al-Ḥajjāj informed us, saying: Ṣafwān ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū al-Makhāriq Zuhayr ibn Sālim related to me, saying: ʿUmar said to Kaʿb: What is the first thing that Allah began of His creation? Kaʿb said: Allah wrote a writing, which He wrote neither with pen nor with ink, but He wrote it with His finger — chrysolite, pearls and rubies run through it: "I am Allah, there is no god but I; My mercy has preceded My wrath."
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The statement concerning the explanation of His saying: لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ("He will surely gather you to the Day of Resurrection, concerning which there is no doubt.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: And this "lām" in His saying: "He will surely gather you" (la-yajmaʿannakum), is the lām of the oath (qasam).
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Then the philologists differed concerning what governs it. Some grammarians of Kūfa said: if you wish, you may regard "mercy" as the end of the clause, and then begin anew with: "He will surely gather you". He said: and if you wish, you may place it in the accusative — that is to say: He has prescribed that He will surely gather you — as He says: كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنْكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ [Sūra al-Anʿām: 54] ("Your Lord has prescribed mercy upon Himself, that whoever of you does evil out of ignorance…"), by which is meant: He has prescribed that whoever of you does [evil]. He said: and the Arabs say, with the particles where the answer to an oath-statement is suited by the vocalized "anna" or by the "lām", for example: "I sent him [word] that (an) he should rise" and "I sent him [word] that (li-) he should surely rise". He said: and likewise is His saying: ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّى حِينٍ [Sūra Yūsuf: 35] ("Then it occurred to them, after they had seen the signs, to imprison him surely for a time"). He said: and this occurs frequently in the Qurʾān. Do you not see that if you were to say: "it occurred to them that they should imprison him", this would be correct? And some grammarians of Baṣra said: one placed the "lām" of "He will surely gather you" in the accusative, because the meaning of "He has prescribed" [is: He has made obligatory and binding, and it carries the meaning of the oath], as though He said: by Allah, He will surely gather you.
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Abū Jaʿfar said: And the correct statement concerning that, in my view, is that His saying كَتَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ ("He has prescribed mercy upon Himself") is an end [of a clause], and that His saying "He will surely gather you" is a newly begun statement. The meaning of the saying is then: Allah will surely gather you, O you who ascribe associates to Allah, for the Day of Resurrection concerning which there is no doubt, to take vengeance upon you on account of your disbelief in Him.
And I have only said that this statement is more in accord with what is correct than making "He has prescribed" govern "He will surely gather you", because His saying "He has prescribed" already governs "mercy". It is therefore not permissible — while it already governs "mercy" — that it [also] govern "He will surely gather you", because it does not extend to two [objects].
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If someone were to say: what then do you say concerning the reading of the one who reads: كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ [Sūra al-Anʿām: 54] with fatḥa on "anna"?
Then it is said: when it is read thus, then "anna" is a further explanation of "mercy" and a clarification of it, because the meaning of the saying is: He has prescribed mercy upon Himself, [namely] that He has mercy [upon whoever repents] of His servants after the committing of evil out of ignorance, and that He forgives. And "mercy" is clarified and its meaning is set forth by its description. But "He will surely gather you to the Day of Resurrection" does not belong to the description of mercy, so that it could be clarified thereby. Since that is so, there remains nothing but that one place it in the accusative with the implicit repetition of "He has prescribed" once more alongside it — but the saying has no need of that, such that it would be directed towards something not present in its outward form.
And as for the explanation of His saying "concerning which there is no doubt": there is no doubt concerning it — He says: concerning the fact that Allah will gather you to the Day of Resurrection, and will bring you all together to Himself; then to every doer among you will be given the recompense for what he has done, whether good or evil.
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The statement concerning the explanation of His saying: الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ (12) ("Those who have caused loss to themselves, for they do not believe.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, means by His saying "those who have caused loss to themselves": those who set up alongside Him the idols and the false deities. The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: Allah will surely gather "those who have caused loss to themselves", that is to say: those who have brought ruin upon themselves and harmed themselves by ascribing to Allah the associate and the equal, and who have thus brought themselves to perdition by making themselves deserving of the wrath of Allah and His painful punishment in the Hereafter.
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And the root meaning of "al-khasār" (loss) is detriment (al-ghubn). Of this one says: "the man suffered loss in the purchase", when he was put at a disadvantage, as al-Aʿshā said:
He takes no bribe in his judgment, and he does not care about the loss of the loser.
And we have already expounded that in another place, in a manner that makes repetition unnecessary.
And the position of "alladhīna" (those who) in His saying "those who have caused loss to themselves" is the accusative, as a referring back to the "kāf and mīm" [the object-suffix -kum] in His saying "He will surely gather you", by way of further explanation concerning it. And that is because those who have caused loss to themselves are the same as those addressed by His saying "He will surely gather you".
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And His saying "for they do not believe", He says: "for they", on account of the bringing of ruin upon themselves and the harming of themselves as regards their portion, "do not believe", that is to say: they do not declare Allah to be One, they do not believe in His promise and His threat, and they do not acknowledge the prophethood of Muḥammad ﷺ.