Commentary

The subject of Oneness of Allah has been dealt with in these verses by giving various proofs in different styles which are appealing to all types of people. At first, the point is explained by an example that although your servants and slaves are identical with you in looks, appearance, their makeup of limbs and other physical features, yet you do not permit them to share equally in your power and authority. You are not willing to part with the slightest part of your wealth and power in favour of your subjects, let alone sharing your power and possessions equally. They can neither spend wealth nor time the way they like, as you do. Just as you are scared of your insignificant partners while spending without checking with them, you do not allow even this position to your servants. So pause for a minute and ponder that human beings, angels, and all other things in the universe are created by Allah Ta’ ala and they are all His creations and slaves, then how could you take them as His equals or partners?

In the second verse a warning is sounded that although this argument is simple and straightforward, yet there are people who under the influence of their selfish motives do not accept and concede to anything of wisdom and knowledge.

In the third verse the Holy Prophet ﷺ is addressed and through him the entire humanity is commanded to take note that when the irrationality and the unjust nature of shirk (associating partners with Allah) is established, you should leave aside all trends of shirk and turn to Islam with full devotion. فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا (So, set your face to the Faith steadily - 30:30).

After that, it is elaborated in the following verse as to how Islam conforms to nature and meets its requirements: فِطْرَ‌تَ اللَّـهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ‌ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّـهِ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ (this (faith) being the nature designed by Allah on which He has created the mankind. There is no change in Allah's creation. That is the straight Faith - 30:30).

This sentence فِطْرَ‌تَ اللَّـهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ‌ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا (30:30) is the elucidation of the preceding sentence فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا (So, set your face to the Faith steadily - 30:30), and it also mentions a special trait of this Faith, for which it was commanded to be followed in the first sentence, that is, Islam is the religion of nature. Although the commentators have assigned different grammatical constructions to this sentence, yet all of them agree that "the nature designed by Allah" refers to the "straight Faith" that is ordered to be followed in the first sentence. "The nature designed by Allah" is explained in the next phrase that it. is the natural design on which Allah has created all people.

What is meant by nature?

Commentators have given several interpretations to the word fitrah, (nature) used in the verse, out of which two are more common:

The first interpretation is that the word 'nature' is used here for Islam. Hence the meaning is that Allah Ta’ ala has made all human beings Muslim by their nature and instinct. In other words, all humans are born Muslims but it is the surroundings and the environment they live in make them astray from the righteous path. Generally it happens that the parents teach the child things and beliefs, which are contrary to Islam, and therefore he is misled into wrong beliefs. According to Qurtubi majority of the elders agree with this interpretation, and it is also recorded in a hadi'th of Sahihain.

The second interpretation is that 'nature' means here 'capability' or 'capacity'. If this meaning of the word 'nature' is adopted, the meaning of the phrase would be that Allah Ta’ ala has bestowed the capability to every human being to discern his Creator and believe in Him. This capability automatically leads to submission to Islam, provided one makes use of this Divine grace.

There are, however, some difficulties in adopting the first interpretation. Firstly, it is said in this very verse towards the end لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّـهِ (There is no change in Allah's creation - 30). Here 'Allah's creation' means the same as 'the nature designed by Allah', which is mentioned earlier in the verse. Hence the meaning of this sentence would be that no one could change the nature designed by Allah, while a hadith of Sahihain itself says that the parents of a child make him Jew or Christian. If the meaning of nature is adopted as Islam, then how could the hadith be correct in saying that the child changes later as a Jew or Christian when it is said in this very verse that the change is not possible. Moreover, this change is a common experience in that there are more disbelievers in the world than Muslims. If Islam is taken as the meaning of nature, in which any change is not possible, then how is it that there are so many disbelievers who have changed their natural instinct after their birth?

Secondly, it is stated in an authentic hadith about the boy who was killed by Sayyidnna Khadir (علیہ السلام) that infidelity was embedded in his nature. It was for this reason that Sayyidna Khadir (علیہ السلام) killed him. In that case this hadith is also in contradiction to the statement that all children are born on Islam.

Thirdly, if it is accepted that Islam is something embedded in human nature, and they have no control to change it, then it would not be a voluntary act. In that case there is no room for rewards in the Hereafter, because rewards will be awarded on voluntary good deeds.

Fourthly, the religious jurists have deduced from authentic ahadith that a child, before attaining puberty, is treated in this world according to the faith of his parents. If the parents are infidel, the child will also be taken as an infidel. If he dies, a minor he will not be buried according to Islamic rites.

Imam Torapushti has listed all these doubts in his commentary on Masabih, and has preferred the second interpretation of the word fitrah' (nature) because of these difficulties. Also, it is appropriate to say that natural capability cannot be changed. The one who is misled by parents into infidelity does not lose his instinct to discern and comprehend Islam. In the case of the boy killed by Sayyidna Khadir (علیہ السلام) also, it is not true that he had lost the capability to discern the Truth because of his birth as infidel. Since a man makes use of this divine gift, i.e. the natural capability, with his free will, the reason for his earning its reward is quite evident. By adopting the second interpretation, the statement of the hadith of Sahihain also becomes clear, that although the child is born with the natural instinct to discern the Truth, which should lead him to accept Islam, yet his surroundings and parents make him a Jew or a Christian. As for the traditions of some elders (salf) who have explained the word 'fitrah' (nature) by the word 'Islam', it seems that they have not used the word of 'Islam' in the meaning of the capability to comprehend and accept Islam. Muhaddith Dehlavi (رح) has explained the view of the majority of the Ummah in the same manner. (لمعات شرح مشکوٰۃ)

Hadrat Shah Waliullah Dehlavi (رح) has also endorsed the same view in his book (حُجَّۃَ البَالِغۃ). The essence of his discussion is that Allah Ta’ ala has created innumerable things of various temperaments and disposition, and has placed an inherent quality in the nature of each one of them which helps him fulfill the object of his creation. The verse أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (He who gave everything its shape, then guidance - 20:50) also describes the same reality that the Creator has instructed every creature how it should fulfill the purpose of its creation. Those instructions are embodied in the capability of performing required acts by various things. The instinct given to honeybee is to distinguish plants and flowers and make selection for drawing juice from them into its belly for storage in the beehive. The same way the humans are graced with a natural instinct and capability to recognize their Creator and submit to Him. This is what Islam is all about.

The above discussion has also clarified the meaning of the sentence لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّـهِ (There is no change in Allah's creation - 30:30) meaning no one can bring about any change in the instinct and capability bestowed by Allah Ta’ ala, which helps recognize the Truth. The wrong environment can make one an infidel, but cannot eliminate his inherent capability to recognize the Truth.

This explanation also makes the meaning of the verse clear, which says وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (I have not created Jinn and mankind except to worship Me - 51:56). It means that Allah has created in their nature the inclination towards and capability to perform His worship. If they make use of this capability, they will never go wrong and astray.

It is obligatory to avoid the company of wrongdoers and evil society

Although in this verse the sentence لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّـهِ (There is no change in Allah's creation - 30:30) is in the form of information, which means that no one can change the nature designed by Allah, but it also contains a latent prohibition in the sense that this nature should not be tampered with. Therefore, it is inferred from this verse that one should avoid the situations that render the capability of accepting the truth ineffective or weak. Such situations generally emerge in an evil environment and bad company, or by reading books written by those having wrong beliefs, especially when the reader does not have extensive knowledge and information about Islam.