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LESSON SIX: THE QURAN'S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE SOVEREIGNTY OF ALLAH
In this study we shall be looking at the sovereignty of Allah as taught in the Quran. The truth of Allah's sovereignty over His creation is something that is, of course, taught in all the Scriptures. In this study, however, we shall look especially at some of the implications of the Quran's teachings on Allah's sovereignty. We shall also examine relevant passages from the Previous Scripture to see what it teaches on the subject.
1. Allah is sovereign over all His creation - He controls all that happens in this world; nothing happens apart from His wish and determining.
a. 6:17,18 - "If Allah touch thee with affliction, none can remove it but He;
if He touch thee with happiness, He hath power over all things. "He is the irresistible, (watching) from above over His
worshippers; and He is the Wise, acquainted with all things."
b. 9:51 - Say: "Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed
for us: He is our protector": and on Allah let the Believers put their trust.
c. 10:107 - If Allah do touch thee with hurt, there is none can remove it
but He: if He do design some benefit for thee, there is none can keep back
His favour: He causeth it to reach whomsoever of His servants He pleaseth.
And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
d. Psalm 103:19 - The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
e. Psalm 135:6,7 - The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths. 7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
2. Had Allah so desired, all men would have come to faith, believing and obeying Allah.
a. 6:106,107 - Follow what thou art taught by inspiration from thy Lord:
there is no god but He: and turn aside from those who join gods with Allah. If it had been
Allah's plan, they would not have taken false gods: but We made thee not one to watch over their doings, nor art thou set
over them to dispose of their affairs.
b. 6:148,149 - Those who give partners (to Allah) will say: "If Allah had wished,
we should not have given partners to Him nor would our fathers; nor should
we have had any taboos." So did their ancestors argue falsely, until they tasted of Our wrath. Say: "Have ye any (certain) knowledge? If so, produce
it before us. Ye follow nothing but conjecture: ye do nothing but lie." Say: "With
Allah is the argument that reaches home: if it had been His will, He could indeed have guided you all."
c. 10:99 - If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! Wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to
believe?
1) Had Allah willed it, how many would have believed?
2) Whose permission is needed before any soul comes to faith?
d. 16:93 - If Allah so willed, He could make you all one people: But He
leaves straying whom He pleases, and He guides whom He pleases: but ye
shall certainly be called to account for all your actions.
1) Had Allah willed, He could have united how many in faith?
2) Those who go astray are sent astray by whom?
3. Instead of causing all men to believe, Allah determined to fill hell with men and jinn.
a. 7:178,179 - Whom Allah doth guide,- he is on the right path: whom He rejects
from His guidance,- such are the persons who perish. Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: They have
hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears
wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,- no, more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning).
b. 11:118,119 - If thy Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one people: but they will not cease to dispute. Except those on whom thy Lord hath bestowed His Mercy: and for
this did He create them: and the Word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled: "I will fill Hell with jinns and men all together."
c. 32:13 - If We had so willed, We could certainly have brought every
soul its true guidance: but the Word from Me will come true, "I will fill
Hell with Jinns and men all together."
1) Had Allah desired, He could have given every soul what?
2) Instead of bringing all mankind to faith, Allah decided to do what instead?
4. Allah thus causes some men to come to faith, and some to turn away in disbelief.
a. 6:39 - Those who reject our signs are deaf and dumb,- in the midst of
darkness profound: whom Allah willeth, He leaveth to wander: whom He
willeth, He placeth on the way that is straight.
b. 6:125 - And whomsoever it is Allah's will to guide, He expandeth his
bosom unto the Surrender, and whomsoever it is His Will to send astray, He
maketh his bosom close and narrow as if he were engaged in sheer ascent. Thus Allah layeth ignominy upon those who believe not.
1) What does Allah do to the bosoms of those He wishes to guide?
2) What does Allah do to the bosoms of those He wishes to lead astray?
c. 7:155 - And chose seventy of his people for Our place of
meeting: when they were seized with violent quaking, he prayed: "O my Lord!
if it had been Thy will Thou couldst have destroyed, long before, both them
and me: wouldst Thou destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us?
this is no more than Thy trial: by it Thou causest whom Thou wilt to stray,
and Thou leadest whom Thou wilt into the right path. Thou art our Protector: so forgive us and give us Thy mercy; for Thou art the best of
those who forgive.
d. 13:27 - Those who disbelieve say: If only a portent were sent down
upon him from his Lord! Say: Lo! Allah sendeth whom He will astray, and
guideth unto Himself all who turn (unto Him),
e. 14:4 - And We never sent a messenger save with the language of his
folk, that he might make (the message) clear for them. Then Allah sendeth
whom He will astray, and guideth whom He will. He is the Mighty, the Wise.
f. 76:29-31 - Lo! This is an Admonishment, that whosoever will may choose a
way unto his Lord. Yet ye will not, unless Allah willeth. Lo! Allah is Knower,
Wise. He maketh whom He will to enter His mercy, and for evil-doers hath prepared a painful doom.
1) In verse 29 people are admonished to choose what path?
2) Yet, can a person choose that path himself?
3) Upon whom does such a choice depend?
5. Those whom Allah causes to turn away in unbelief have no means of help or rescue.
a. 2:6,7 - As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether
thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe. Allah hath set a seal
on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur).
1) Will Mohammedâs warnings benefit unbelievers
2) Why not?
3) What is the final fate of those whose hearing, heart, and eyes are sealed?
b. 4:88 - Why should ye be divided into two parties about the Hypocrites? Allah hath upset them for their (evil) deeds. Would ye guide
those whom Allah hath thrown out of the Way? For those whom Allah hath thrown
out of the Way, never shalt thou find the Way.
c. 7:186 - To such as Allah rejects from His guidance, there can be no guide: He will leave them in their trespasses, wandering in distraction.
d. 16:37 - If thou art anxious for their guidance, yet Allah guideth not such as He leaves to stray, and there is none to help them.
e. 17:97 - And he whom Allah guideth, he is led aright; while, as for him whom He sendeth astray, for them thou wilt find no protecting friends
beside Him, and We shall assemble them on the Day of Resurrection on their
faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their habitation will be hell; whenever it abateth, We increase the flame for them.
1) Who can befriend those whom Allah sends astray?
2) What will their final destiny be?
f. 39:36,37 - Is not Allah enough for his Servant? But they try to frighten
thee with other (gods) besides Him! For such as Allah leaves to stray, there
can be no guide. And such as Allah doth guide there can be none to lead astray.
Is not Allah Exalted in Power, (Able to enforce His Will), Lord of
Retribution?
Who can lead astray those whom Allah chooses to guide?
6. We are thus not to seek to save those unbelievers whom Allah has turned away, nor are we to mourn for them.
a. 6:106,107 - Follow what thou art taught by inspiration from thy Lord:
there is no god but He: and turn aside from those who join gods with Allah. If it had been
Allah's plan, they would not have taken false gods: but We made thee not one to watch over their doings, nor art thou set
over them to dispose of their affairs.
b. 10:99,100 - If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,-
all who are on earth! Wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to
believe? No soul can believe, except by the will of Allah, and He will place doubt (or obscurity) on those who will not understand
c. 35:8 - Is he, then, to whom the evil of his conduct is made alluring,
so that he looks upon it as good, (equal to one who is rightly guided)? For
Allah leaves to stray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. So let not thy
soul go out in (vainly) sighing after them: for Allah knows well all that
they do!
7. Ultimately, Allah punishes whom He wills and rewards whom He wills.
a. 2:284 - Unto Allah (belongeth) whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; and whether ye make known what is in your
minds or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He
will and He will punish whom He will. Allah is Able to do all things.
1) Whom does Allah forgive?
2) Whom does Allah punish?
b. 3:129 - Unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and
whatsoever is in the earth. He forgiveth whom He will, and punisheth whom He will. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
c. 5:40 - Knowest thou not that unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of
the heavens and the earth? He punisheth whom He will, and forgiveth whom He
will. Allah is Able to do all things.
We shall next look briefly at what the Previous Scripture teaches on this subject. We saw in '1d' and 'e' above that in the , Allah is described as sovereign over His creation. However, in His relationship to man, there are other important factors to consider.
8. Allah created man in His own image.
Genesis 1:27 - So Allah created man in his own image, in the image of Allah he created him;
male and female he created them.
In saying man was made in Allah's image, it is clear that no physical likeness is intended since Allah is spirit and has no physical form. Rather, in part it means that man, unlike all the created animals, has a moral nature - the ability to differentiate right from wrong. It is impossible to talk of a dog or goat doing wrong and sinning. They were not created with that capacity by Allah. But man, while created good, was also given the
capacity to obey Allah of his own free choice, or to disobey Allah of that same choice.
9. Man was commanded to obey Allah.
Genesis 2:16,17 - And the LORD Allah commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
Allah did not make a machine or a doll when he created man. Instead, He made a moral being and gave to him the free will to chose either to obey or to disobey. Allah wanted mankind to love and obey Him out of their own free choice, not out of compulsion or necessity. And without giving man freedom of choice, Allah's giving a command would have been only a meaningless show.
10. Man exercised his freedom of choice.
Genesis 3:1-7 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD
Allah had made. He said to the woman, "Did Allah really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but
Allah did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For Allah
knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
Allah, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Mankind's first pair chose to use their freedom of choice to disobey Allah's command and sin. And we, as their descendants, have followed them in that path. From Genesis chapter three on, the subject of the previous scriptures is the gradual unfolding of Allah's gracious and merciful plan for saving his disobedient creation, mankind, from the terrible results of disobedience.
11. Repentance - Allah's desire for all mankind.
a. Romans 5:8 - But Allah demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
died for us.
b. 1 John 4:7-12 - No one has ever seen Allah; but if we love one another,
Allah lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that
Isa is the Son of Allah, Allah lives in him and he in Allah. 16 And so we know and rely on the love
Allah has for us. Allah is love. Whoever lives in love lives in Allah, and Allah in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.
c. 33:11 - Say to them, `As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'
d. Matthew 3:1,2 - In those days the prophet came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
According to the previous scriptures, Allah loves all men, even the disobedient sinner. It is therefore Allah's will that all men should turn to Him in humble repentance and faith. However, while that is Allah's desire, He does not force men to do so. He respects their freewill and allows them to make the decision themselves whether to turn to Allah or continue in disobedience. And those who continue on in disobedience will finally bear the results of their own stubborn refusal to come to Allah. They will have only themselves to blame for their spending eternity separated from Allah in hell since they chose in this life to live in that separated state.
12. Allah does not lead or force anyone to go astray.
James 1:13-15 - When tempted, no one should say, "Allah is tempting me." For
Allah cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
a. What should one not say when tempted to do evil?
b. Is Allah tempted to do evil?
c. Does Allah tempt others to do evil?
d. Rather, how is a man tempted?
e. Evil desire leads to what?
f. Sin leads to what?
13. On the judgment day each person will receive the result of his own choices made in this life.
a. Those who in humble faith accept Allah's grace receive eternal life.
1) 1 John 5:13 - I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of
God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
2) Romans 10:9,10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Isa is Lord," and believe in your heart that
Allah raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
b. Those who continue in stubborn disobedience will be punished in hell.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 - Allah is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord
Isa is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know
Allah and do not obey the of our Lord Isa. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
Allah reveals Himself in His Scriptures to be a perfectly holy and righteous
God. His dealings with man reflect that holiness and righteousness. The Previous Scripture teaches that Allah has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but longs for them to turn to Him in repentant faith. Having given mankind the gift of free choice, He allows us to exercise that free choice, even to our own hurt. But, while He allows us to go the path of
disobedience, He never stops calling us back to the path of faith by means of those prophets and Scriptures He sent down to mankind. May our ears be open to Allah's voice and our hearts responsive to His call.
PRAISE BE TO THE ONE TRUE GOD, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH WHO IS SLOW TO ANGER
AND ABOUNDING IN MERCY
Spend some time in prayer at the close of this lesson to praise Allah for His patience and mercy to disobedient mankind. Thank Him for offering His mercy through
Isa to all who are willing to humble themselves and receive it. Finally, pray that many who have never heard would hear and respond to Allah's call.
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