As-Sajda (The Prostration)

4. “Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six Days then He established Himself on ‘Arsh (the Throne of authority), for you there is none besides Him of a guardian, nor any intercessor; will you not then receive admonition?”

In order to wipe out polytheism, the eternal power of Allah and the creation of heavens and earth must be spoken of. So, next to the statement of the greatness of the Qur’an and the Messengerhood of the Prophet (S), this verse refers to one of the most important bases of the Islamic beliefs, i.e. Monotheism and negation of polytheism.

It says:

“Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six Days…”

The objective meaning of ‘Six Days’ mentioned in such verses is ‘six periods’, and we know that one of the meanings of ‘Day’ in daily applications is ‘period’, as we say: ‘One day the despotic government was ruling and ‘today’ the council system is’, while we know that despotic government used to rule thousands of years but they are said as ‘days’.

On the other side, we know that the heavens and the earth have passed different periods. One day all the spheres of the solar system were in the form of a single melted mass. Another day some planets separated from the sun and began to rotate around it.

One day the earth was entirely fiery, and another day it became cold and appropriate for the life of plants and animals. Then, the living creatures came into being in different stages.¹

It is evident that the infinite power of Allah is enough to create the entire universe in one moment or less than that, but this gradual system can illustrate better the glory, knowledge and providence of Allah in all stages.

For example, if an embryo could complete all its periods of development to be born, its wonders would remain aloof from the man’s view. But when we see that every day and every week during this period of nine months foetus gets a new shape and adopts some new surprising circumstances, and it passes its wonderful stages one after another, we will be better acquainted with the greatness of Allah.

Next to the statement of the creation of the things, the verse refers to the subject of Divine sovereignty over the world of existence, and says:

“…then He established Himself on ‘Arsh (The Throne of authority)…”

As we have formerly said, the Arabic word /‘arš/ originally means: ‘a throne with long legs’, and usually it ironically means ‘power’, as in our daily speaking we say:

“The legs of his throne were broken”

which means his power was vanished. Thus, that Allah established Himself on ‘Arsh, is not an indication to its bodily meaning that He may have a throne like human kings to sit on it, but it means He is both the Creator of the world of existence and the administrator over the whole universe.

At the end of the holy verse, by pointing to the subject of Monotheism, ‘mastership’ and ‘intercession’, the above verse completes the stages of Monotheism.

It says:

“…for you there is none besides Him of a guardian, nor any intercessor…”

By this clear reason that the creation of the world is a sign for His Sovereignty, and sovereignty is an evidence for the Unity of ‘master’, ‘intercessor’, and ‘object of worship’, why do you pave the wrong way and go to false gods?

The verse says:

“…will you not then receive admonition?”

In fact, the three stages of Monotheism mentioned in the above verse, each is counted an evidence for the other; the Unity of creative power is an evidence for the Unity of sovereignty, and the Unity of sovereignty is an evidence for the Unity of ‘master’, ‘intercessor’ and ‘object of worship’.

Some commentators have delivered a question here, the answer of which is not so complicated.

They say the recent sentence of the verse announces:

“…for you there is none besides Him of a guardian nor any intercessor…”.

The concept of this sentence is that your guardian and intercessor is only Allah (s.w.t.). Is it possible that someone intercedes with himself?

This Question can be answered in three ways:

1- All intercessors have to intercede by His permission, as the Qur’an says:

“…who is it that can intercede with Him save by His leave?…”2

Regarding to this fact, it can be said that although the intercession is from the side of Divine prophets and saints, it will return again to His Pure Essence, whether the intercession is for forgiving the sins of a person or for reaching some Divine bounties.

The witness to this statement is the verse which contains just the same meaning of this very verse and it says:

“…No intercessor can there be except after (obtaining) His leave…”3

2- Regarding to this fact that when we resort to Allah, we resort by His Attributes and ask help from His mercifulness, and beneficence, His being Forgiver and All-Forgiving, and His bounteousness and His loving kindness; as if we set Him intercessor with Himself, and we count these Attributes as agents between us and His Pure Essence, though His Attributes, in fact, are the essence of His Pure Essence.

This is the same thing that is mentioned in the Supplication of Kumayl through the expressive sentence of Ali (as) where he says:

“I seek intercession by You unto You.”

3- The purpose of the Qur’anic word /šafi‘/ (intercessor) here is guardian helper, and aid, and we know that the helper, aid and guardian is only Allah. And that some commentators have rendered the word /šafa‘at/ here into the sense of creation and completion of the souls, in fact, it returns to this very meaning, too.