Allah tells us of His might, pride, majesty, beautiful Names and sublime
attributes, and His perfect Words which no one can encompass. No human being
knows their essence or nature, or how many they are. As the Leader of Mankind
and Seal of the Messengers said:
«لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً
عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِك»
(I cannot praise You enough; You are as You have praised yourself.) Allah
says:
[وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِى
الاٌّرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلاَمٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ
أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَـتُ اللَّهِ]
(And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea, with seven seas
behind it to add to its, yet the Words of Allah would not be exhausted.)
meaning, even if all the trees on earth were made into pens and the sea was made
into ink, and topped up with seven more like it, and they were used to write the
Words of Allah showing His might, attributes and majesty, the pens would break
and the ink would run dry, even if more were brought. The number seven is used
to indicate a large amount, it is not to be taken literally or to be understood
as referring to the seven oceans of the world, as was suggested by those who
took this idea from Israelite stories, which we neither believe nor reject. As
Allah says elsewhere:
[قُل لَّوْ كَانَ
الْبَحْرُ مِدَاداً لِّكَلِمَـتِ رَبِّى لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ
كَلِمَـتُ رَبِّى وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَداً ]
(Say: "If the sea were ink for the Words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be
exhausted before the Words of my Lord would be finished, even if We brought like
it for its aid.'') (18:109). The words
[بِمِثْلِهِ]
(like it) do not mean merely another one, but another like it and another and
another and another, etc., because there is no limit to the signs and Words of
Allah.
[أَنَّ اللَّهَ
عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ]
(Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.) means, He is All-Mighty and has
subjugated all things to His will, so nothing can prevent what He wills, and
none can oppose or put back His decision. He is All-Wise in His creation,
commands, Words, actions, Laws and all His affairs.
[مَّا خَلْقُكُمْ
وَلاَ بَعْثُكُمْ إِلاَّ كَنَفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ]
(The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as a single
person.) means, His creation and resurrection of all of mankind on the Day of
Resurrection is, in relation to His power, like the creation and resurrection of
a single soul; all of this is easy for Him.
[إِنَّمَآ أَمْرُهُ
إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيْئاً أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ ]
(Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it,
"Be!'' -- and it is!) (36:82)
[وَمَآ أَمْرُنَآ
إِلاَّ وَحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ ]
(And Our commandment is but one as the twinkling of an eye. ) (54:50). This
means He only has to command a thing once, and it will happen. There is no need
for Him to repeat it or confirm it.
[فَإِنَّمَا هِىَ
زَجْرَةٌ وَحِدَةٌ - فَإِذَا هُم بِالسَّاهِرَةِ ]
(But it will be only a single Zajrah. When behold, they find themselves on
the surface of the earth alive after their death.)(79:13)
[إِنَّ اللَّهَ
سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ]
(Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer.) means, just as He hears all that
they say, so He also sees all that they do, as if He is hearing and seeing a
single soul. His power over all of them is like His power over a single soul,
Allah says:
[مَّا خَلْقُكُمْ
وَلاَ بَعْثُكُمْ إِلاَّ كَنَفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ]
(The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as a single
person.)
[أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ
اللَّهَ يُولِجُ الَّيْلَ فِى النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِى الَّيْلِ
وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَأَنَّ
اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ - ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ
مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ الْبَـطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْكَبِيرُ
]
(29. See you not that Allah merges the night into the day, and merges the day
into the night, and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running its course
for a term appointed; and that Allah is All-Aware of what you do. ) (30. That is
because Allah, He is the Truth, and that which they invoke besides Him is
falsehood; and that Allah, He is the Most High, the Most Great.)