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Open question Analysis · argument Classical sources

Hūd 11:118

By TheQuran.com research team (original site, 2020–21) · last edited 27 Mar 2021

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The verses

11:118
وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَٰحِدَةً ۖ وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ ١١٨
And if thy Lord had willed, He verily would have made mankind one nation, yet they cease not differing, — Marmaduke Pickthall
11:119
إِلَّا مَن رَّحِمَ رَبُّكَ ۚ وَلِذَٰلِكَ خَلَقَهُمْ ۗ وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ ١١٩
Save him on whom thy Lord hath mercy; and for that He did create them. And the Word of thy Lord hath been fulfilled: Verily I shall fill hell with the jinn and mankind together. — Marmaduke Pickthall

The issue

The verse states that Allah created people to be different. What is understood from the context is that the difference is a “difference in religions,” an opinion held by the majority of Islamic commentators. However, another opinion states that the difference is a socioeconomic one, where society is divided into two classes: “this one is rich and this one is poor".

The verse further states that there are two types of people:

Those who receive Allah’s mercy

Those who do not receive Allah’s mercy

Q 11.119 (“...I will surely...”) is in the affirmative, which indicates that the intention of Allah is to “fill hell with ginns [jinn] and mankind altogether".

The text characterizes Allah as a harsh tyrannical figure who does not love humankind.

Question: Does this image of the creator found in the Qur’ān reflect a true image of the Creator of the world?

Arabic text of this item

يقول النص إن مشيئة الله اقتضت جعل الناس مختلفين (الآية 118). والمفهوم من سياق الآية أنه «اختلاف في الأديانِ»، وهذا قول أكثرية الشرّاح. وفي قول آخر نقرأ أن الناس منقسمين إلى طبقتين، «فهذا فقير، وهذا غني». ثم تضيف الآية القول بأن ثمة صنفين من الناس: الصنف الأول: الذين رَحمهم الله، والثاني: الذين لم يرحمهم. وقد جاءت صياغة الآية القرآنية توكيدية، لاسيما مع استخدام اللام وضمير المتكلم والتوكيد في <لَأَمْلَأَنَّ> مما يدل على النية أن الله سيملأ <جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ> (الآية 119).

يجعل النصُّ اللهَ قاسيًا وطاغيًا، فضلاً عن أن النص يجعل الله غير محب للبشر. والسؤال: هل هذه الصورة القرآنية تنسجم مع حقيقة الله؟

Sources cited

  1. al-Ţabarī, Tafsīr 12: 632-636.
  2. al-Qurţubī 11: 235.
  1. الطبري، تفسير 12: 632-636،.
  2. القرطبي، تفسير 11: 235.

This item merges 2 entries of the original site that carried the same text across the passage (old ids 249, 250; the old ids redirect here).