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Commentary on the Quran: (Chapter 3:18)

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Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 3:18)

By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Allah’s (SWT) Testimony on God’s Oneness

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ‎﴿١٨﴾

3:18 Allah (SWT) witnesses that there is no deity except God, and (so do) the angels and those of knowledge – (that God is) maintaining (creation) in justice. There is no deity except God, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

Commentary: Allah (SWT) bears witness that there is no other god (شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ). God manages the affairs of creation equitably through God’s designed system of cause and effect (قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ). For instance, Allah (SWT) has bestowed innumerable bounties on human beings so that they can meet their worldly needs and, at the same time, do righteous deeds to benefit their lives in the Hereafter.

One commits injustice either out of necessity or ignorance. Allah (SWT) is the Exalted in Might, the Wise, and the Rich (هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ). Hence, Divine Kingdom is free from oppression and injustice.

شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ  …قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ‎﴿١٨﴾

3:18 Allah (SWT) witnesses that there is no deity except God while maintaining (His creation) with justice. There is no deity except God, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

We may experience events in nature that are against our inclinations and perceive injustice in the universe. However, when we understand the sequences of cause and effect and their mutual relationships, we accept that divine wisdom is behind every event in the world.

The angels’ Testimony: The angels bear witness that there is no god but Allah (SWT) (شَهِدَ… الْمَلَائِكَةُ). The angels are the honored servants of Allah (SWT), who act according to the Divine Commandments (21:26-27 Al-Anbiya), glorify God, and testify in their glorifications that there is no other god (42-5 Ash-Shura).

The Scholars’ Testimony: The people of knowledge also bear witness that there is no god but Allah (SWT). Scholars realize that there is no god except Allah (SWT) through derived logic and reason. For instance, had there been two gods, we would observe chaos in the affairs of the universe as we would experience similar disorder should two kings be ruling a kingdom. After all, every king wants to rule and govern according to his own will. Having two gods is analogous to having two presidents in a country. For instance, one king may intend to stimulate the economy with a tax cut for the rich and another to increase the spending power of the poor by raising taxes on the rich. In verse 21:22 (Al-Anbiya), the Quran states:

لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا ۚ فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ‎﴿٢٢﴾

21:22 Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah (SWT), they (the heavens and earth) both would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah (SWT), Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.

Verse 23:91 (Al-Muminun) states if there were multiple gods, each god would create and manage the affairs of his creation according to his will and wisdom. Hence, we would have experienced various governing systems in the universe. In contrast, we observe that a single world order exists in the universe.

Furthermore, each of these gods would try to overthrow the other to expand their territory and rule. This ends the collapse of the world system:

مَا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ مِن وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ ۚ إِذًا لَّذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَٰهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۚ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ‎﴿٩١﴾

23:91 Allah (SWT) has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with God any deity. (If there had been), then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them (gods) would have sought to overcome others (gods). Exalted is Allah (SWT) above what they describe (concerning God).

The angels and scholars verbally testify to the oneness of Allah (SWT) and worship only God. However, there is no consensus on how Allah (SWT) testifies to GOd’s oneness. Some commentators believe Allah (SWT) testifies to God’s oneness through Divine Creation and actions[1], but Al-Mizan states that divine testimony is with words [2].

The phrase “maintaining (Divine Creation) with justice” (قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ) conveys the manner and the mode that Allah (SWT) bears witness to God’s oneness (شَهِدَ اللَّهُ … قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ). Hence the meaning of the verse is: “Allah (SWT), while maintaining (God’s creation) with justice, bears witness to God’s onenessThe angels and the people of knowledge also proclaim Allah’s (SWT) oneness [3].

In the end, the reader, like scholars, should states that “There is no deity except God, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ)

Word-for-Word Translation:

3:18 [شَهِدَ] Bear witness [اللَّهُ] Allah [أَنَّهُ] that God [لَا] there is no [إِلَٰهَ] god [إِلَّا] except [هُوَ] God. [وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ] and so do the angels, [وَأُولُو] and owners [الْعِلْمِ] of the knowledge  – [قَائِمًا] standing [بِالْقِسْطِ] in justice. [لَا] There is no [إِلَٰهَ] god [إِلَّا] except [هُوَ] He, [الْعَزِيزُ] the All-Mighty [الْحَكِيمُ] the All-Wise.

[1] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.2, P.467

[2] AlMizan, Vol.3, P.179

[3] Al-Mizan, Vol.3, P. 179

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