... He has commanded that you worship not except Him. ... [Q12:40]
Abstract
In its command to adhere to the right religion, Q12:40 states that Allah has commanded that only He is to be worshipped. Various mythologies have a pantheon of gods as the progeny of The One God. Allah creates through His Word, while procreation is a function that Allah has built into creation by which He increases them. The Quran uses the term badīʿ (بَدِيع) as one of the steps in the act of creation by Allah. This term appears in the context of dismissing any false notions of lineage and worship.
Full Text
مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُم
مَّا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَانٍ
إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ
أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ
ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers,
for which Allah has sent down no authority.
Legislation is not but for Allah .
He has commanded that you worship not except Him.
That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
[Al-Quran 12:40, Translator: Sahih International]
badīʿ (بَدِيع) in The Quran
The Quran uses the term badīʿ (بَدِيع) as one of the steps in the act of creation by Allah. This term appears in the context of dismissing any false notions of lineage and worship:
وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ وَلَدًا سُبْحَانَهُ بَل لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ
They say, " Allah has taken a son." Exalted is He! Rather, to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. All are devoutly obedient to Him,
بَدِيعُ of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is.
[Al-Quran 2:116-117, Translator: Sahih International]
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وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ الْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ وَخَرَقُوا لَهُ بَنِينَ وَبَنَاتٍ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَاعْبُدُوهُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ
لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ
قَدْ جَاءَكُم بَصَائِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُم بِحَفِيظٍ
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ وَلِيَقُولُوا دَرَسْتَ وَلِنُبَيِّنَهُ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
اتَّبِعْ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
But they have attributed to Allah partners - the jinn, while He has created them - and have fabricated for Him sons and daughters. Exalted is He and high above what they describe
[He is] بَدِيعُ of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion and He خَلَقَ all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing.
That is Allah, your Lord; there is no deity except Him, the خَالِقُ of all things, so worship Him. And He is Disposer of all things.
Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted.
There has come to you enlightenment from your Lord. So whoever will see does so for [the benefit of] his soul, and whoever is blind [does harm] against it. And [say], "I am not a guardian over you."
And thus do We diversify the verses so the disbelievers will they (may) say, "You have studied," and so We may make the Qur'an clear for a people who know.
Follow, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you from your Lord - there is no deity except Him - and turn away from those who associate others with Allah .
Root Word
The triliteral root bā dāl ʿayn (ب د ع) occurs four times in the Quran, in three derived forms:
once as the form VIII verb ib'tadaʿu (ٱبْتَدَعُ)
once as the noun bid'ʿ (بِدْع)
twice as the noun badīʿ (بَدِيع)
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| Screenshot from corpus.quran.com |
In the Lexicon
http://www.tyndalearchive.com/tabs/lane/ Pages 166-167
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| Screenshots from Lane's Lexicon |
Various Facets of Creation
The Quran employs various words to convey the various steps in the act of creation of the Skies and Earth. بَدِيعُ and فَاطِرُ are used exclusively for Allah, and خَالِقُ for Allah, as well as others. Fatir (فَاطِرُ), Badīʿ (بَدِيع) and Khaliq (خَالِقُ) are all generally translated Creator. Fatir (فَاطِرُ) and Khaliq (خَالِقُ) are mentioned in several ayaat across The Quran, but badīʿ (بَدِيع) is mentioned in the only two ayaat quoted above.
The Quran employs various words to convey the various steps in the act of creation of the Skies and Earth. بَدِيعُ and فَاطِرُ are used exclusively for Allah, and خَالِقُ for Allah, as well as others. Fatir (فَاطِرُ), Badīʿ (بَدِيع) and Khaliq (خَالِقُ) are all generally translated Creator. Fatir (فَاطِرُ) and Khaliq (خَالِقُ) are mentioned in several ayaat across The Quran, but badīʿ (بَدِيع) is mentioned in the only two ayaat quoted above.
What is interesting in the context of both the set of ayaat is that the myth of Allah having a progeny is being strongly denounced; emphasising and explaining that it is Allah who innovates and creates whatever He wills, and that Allah does not procreate! Allah has created all things!!!
Creation through Sound
Q2:117 informs us that when Allah decrees anything (أَمْرًا), He simply commands it to become (يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن) and it becomes (فَيَكُونُ). As mentioned in Virgin Birth, new studies and experiments are revealing the ability of sound to arrange matter in various patterns and waves. Q3:45 informs us that the angels gave Mary glad tidings of a Word (بِكَلِمَةٍ) from Allah. The same word is used in Q19:17 (رُوحَنَا) and Q66:12 (رُّوحِنَا) to convey what was breathed into her. As explored in Human: Body or Soul?, Q17:85 informs us that الرُّوحُ is from the أَمْرِ of Allah:
Creation through Sound
Q2:117 informs us that when Allah decrees anything (أَمْرًا), He simply commands it to become (يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن) and it becomes (فَيَكُونُ). As mentioned in Virgin Birth, new studies and experiments are revealing the ability of sound to arrange matter in various patterns and waves. Q3:45 informs us that the angels gave Mary glad tidings of a Word (بِكَلِمَةٍ) from Allah. The same word is used in Q19:17 (رُوحَنَا) and Q66:12 (رُّوحِنَا) to convey what was breathed into her. As explored in Human: Body or Soul?, Q17:85 informs us that الرُّوحُ is from the أَمْرِ of Allah:
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
[Al-Quran 17:85]
Creation vs Procreation
Various mythologies have a pantheon of gods as the progeny of The One God. The Quran strongly denounces this, and logically explains in Q6:101 that in the absence of a female companion procreation is not possible; the same ayat also reminds that Allah is the (خَالِقُ) of all things. Procreation is a function that Allah has built into creation by which He increases them. Q17:42 further reasons that had there been other gods, they would have found a way to The Throne:
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ مَعَهُ آلِهَةٌ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذًا لَّابْتَغَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِي الْعَرْشِ سَبِيلًا
[Al-Quran 17:42]
Polytheism
Q12:40 commands the worship of Allah alone, stating that it is the الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ. The surah concludes thus:
وَكَأَيِّن مِّنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ
وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُم بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ
أَفَأَمِنُوا أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَاشِيَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
قُلْ هَٰذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَىٰ بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَىٰ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَدَارُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا اسْتَيْأَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّيَ مَن نَّشَاءُ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ
لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَىٰ وَلَٰكِن تَصْدِيقَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
And how many a sign within the heavens and earth do they pass over while they, therefrom, are turning away.
And most of them believe not in Allah except while they associate others with Him.
Then do they feel secure that there will not come to them an overwhelming [aspect] of the punishment of Allah or that the Hour will not come upon them suddenly while they do not perceive?
Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah ; and I am not of those who associate others with Him."
And We sent not before you [as messengers] except men to whom We revealed from among the people of cities. So have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those before them? And the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah ; then will you not reason?
[They continued] until, when the messengers despaired and were certain that they had been denied, there came to them Our victory, and whoever We willed was saved. And Our punishment cannot be repelled from the people who are criminals.
There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was the Qur'an a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe.
[Al-Quran 12:105-111, Translator: Sahih International]
Originate & Re-create
While بَدِيع means to originate something new, a similar triliteral root is bā dāl hamza (ب د أ), which is also used in the sense of originating creation, and then repeating the process:
While بَدِيع means to originate something new, a similar triliteral root is bā dāl hamza (ب د أ), which is also used in the sense of originating creation, and then repeating the process:
Screenshot from corpus.quran.com
Last updated on: September 8, 2019
