A small glimpse…

السلام عليكم

Here is a small glimpse at what takes place in my tafseer class. This is typed from my notes that were taken in class. It is amazing how much knowledge my teacher has. It makes sense that his grandfather had praised him so much.

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُواْ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاء وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ <>2:30

And recall when your Lord said to the angels: I am making a successor on earth. They said: Are you making خليفة he who will spread mischief in it [the earth] and will shed the blood despite that we glorify You by praising You. He [الله] said: Verily, I know what you do not know.

• Previous verses, الله highlighted His qualities and ordered humans to only worship Him because only He is worthy of that worship
  
• الإنسان on earth is خليفة of الله on the earth
  
  • Has obligations and responsibilities to follow
    
  • If he goes right, whole world will go right
    
• الله is the king of the whole universe
  
  • Gave free will (إختِيَار) in this دنيا
    
  • Whatever man wants to do, he can do it à bad or good
    
• الله informed الملائكة
  
  • مَلَك
    à literally delegate (messenger)
    
  • They are a real creation of الله
    à some say they aren't real
    
  • الله uses them for different tasks à weather, wahy (sunnah of الله is to do things through means as a system although He can do everything)
    
  • Used angels as وصيلة/سبب and if الله تعالى always did everything himself, there would be no miracles.
    
• خليفة
  à appointed by higher authority and has some free will but cannot do everything
  
• تقدير
  à
  الله knows all of what will happen and planned before
  
  • Humans can do whatever to some extent
    
  • Sheep/goat à human ties a goat to a tree and give one-hundred yard rope
    
    • Within the hundred yards, goat can go anywhere but not past hundred yards
      
  • Humans have some room to move (each human has a different amount of room/opportunities) but can move within that
    
    • We don't know how much room we have (غيب)
      
• Angels did not raise objection against His rule (no free will) but raised question to understand the حكمة
  
  • Understand this would be the only one with free will
    
    • Will use free will to make فساد and shed blood
      
      • Jinn made فساد on the earth and angels used them as a basis
        
  • Not saying they wanted to be appointed, but saying that since we already glorify You and such, what is the need to create such creation that has so much risk
    
• Two words:
  
  • (1) تسبيح
    à (I) to swim (II) to purify
    
    • Separating the negative: In hadith, used differently à purify الله by eliminating those characteristics that don't fit الله. الله does not sleep, drink, become sad, etc.
      
  • (2) تقديس
    à to purify
    
    • Associating the positive: Associating those attributes that do fit الله
      علم الفيب, etc.
      
  • تسبيح is more important
    
    • لا إله إلاّ الله
      à eliminates شرك
      
• Despite angels fulfilling orders, الله has an objective to be fulfilled and angels cannot do it (no free will)
  
  • Have to choose between right and wrong