Al-Qasas (The Stories)

68. “And your Lord creates whatever He pleases, and He chooses: They have not the choice. Glory be to Allah, and exalted be He above what they associate (with Him)!”

69. “And your Lord knows what their breasts conceal and what they manifest.”

70. “And He is Allah, there is no god but He! His is all praise in this (life) and the Hereafter, and His is the authority, and unto Him you shall be returned.”

The Absolute Power is Allah’s, and then the creation of existence and the law of life (religion) both belong to Him. Therefore, the choice of heavenly leader is in the hand of Allah, not in the authority of people.

These verses, in fact, are as an evidence for the negation of polytheism and falseness of the belief of polytheists.

The first verse says:

“And your Lord creates whatever He pleases…”

Creation belongs to Him, and administration, authority, and choice are also under His will and commandment.

The verse continues saying:

“…and He chooses: They have not the choice…”

The authority of creation is with Him, the authority of intercession is in His hand, and the authority of sending prophets is also in His will. Shortly speaking, the authority of all things depends on the Divine providence, His Pure Essence. Therefore, neither can idols do anything, nor even can the angels and prophets, save with His leave.

However, Allah is the possessor of authority both in natural affairs and religious affairs, both of which originate from the rank of His creation.

Yet, how do they pave the path of polytheism, and how do they go towards other than Allah?

Thus, at the end of the verse, the Holy Qur’an says:

“…Glory be to Allah, and exalted be He above what they associate (with Him)!”

In the narrations of Ahl-ul-Bayt (as), the above verse has been rendered into the authority and choice of Immaculate Imam (as) from the side of Allah, and the Qur’anic sentence:

“They have not the choice”

has also been adapted to this very meaning. This, in fact, is of the kind of stating the clear example, because protecting divine religion and choosing the immaculate leader for this aim is impossible but from the side of Allah.¹

The next verse, which is about the vast knowledge of Allah, is, indeed, an emphasis, or a reason, upon what was stated in the previous verse concerning the vast authority of Allah.

It says:

“And your Lord knows what their breasts conceal and what they manifest.”

This His sovereignty over everything is a reason for His authority unto all things, and, in the meantime, it is a threat for the pagans who should not imagine that Allah is not aware of their intentions and plots.

The last verse of the abovementioned verses is, in fact, as a conclusion and explanation for the previous verses in the field of negation of polytheism. It points to four qualities of the Attributes of Allah, all of which are derivatives of His creative power and His Will being independent.

It says:

“And He is Allah, there is no god but He!…”

How can an object of worship, except Him, be found while He is the only creator and all authorities belong to Him? Those who, as a pretext of intercession and the like of it, go to idols are seriously in error.

Another thing is that all bounties, whether in this world and the next, are from His side, and this is the requisite of His absolute creative Power.

Therefore, it says:

“…His is all praise in this (life) and the Hereafter…”

The third is that He is the Judge in both worlds. The verse continues saying:

“…and His is the authority…”

The fourth is that the return of all men, for reckoning and receiving rewards and retribution, will be to Him.

The verse says:

“…and unto Him you shall be returned.”

It is He Who has created us, and it is He Who is aware of our deeds, and it is He Who is the Judge of the Day of retribution; therefore the reckoning and reward of our deeds are in His hand, too.