Surah al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage ) 22 : 62

Overview (Verses 62 - 64)

Absolute Truth

All this relates to the essential fact that God is the ultimate and absolute truth. His is the truth that controls the universe and operates its systems. Everything else is false, irregular, and cannot be maintained: “Thus it is, because God alone is the Ultimate Truth, and all that people invoke beside Him is sheer falsehood, and because God alone is Most High, Great.” (Verse 62)

This is an adequate explanation and a guarantee that truth and justice will inevitably triumph, while falsehood and aggression are certain to be defeated. It is the same guarantee that the laws of the universe will operate without fail. One of these laws and phenomena is that the truth will be victorious and falsehood will suffer a humiliating defeat. God is certainly far superior to any absolute ruler who seeks to demonstrate his power over the weak. The verse concludes with this comment: “God alone is Most High, Great.” Hence, He will not allow aggression to swell, or injustice to he everlasting.

Further natural phenomena are shown as permanent indicators of God’s power: “Are you not aware that God sends down water from the skies, whereupon the earth becomes green. God is unfathomable in His wisdom, All Aware.” (Verse 63) We see this happening all the time: rain pours down from the skies and the earth becomes green within a very short period, but again long familiarity makes us oblivious to this. However, to people with open minds the scene arouses a host of feelings. At times, you look at a green shoot poking out through the black earth and you feel its freshness. It reminds you of young children smiling happily to the world around them, and who almost fly with delight when they see the spreading light.

If we have such feelings, we can properly understand the comment at the end of the verse: “God is unfathomable in His wisdom, All Aware.” It is as profound a comment as our feelings when we look at this delightful scene and contemplate its nature. It is part of God’s unfathomable wisdom to initiate such subtle movements within the depths of the earth, bringing forth a green shoot, fresh but weak and slim. With God’s power, it stretches out into the air, moving against the law of gravity. It is God’s knowledge that determines the amount of rain that falls from the sky and its timing, so that water mixes with the earth and allows vegetation to grow.

Water falls from God’s sky to His earth to initiate life and provide nutrition and wealth. But then God owns both the heavens and earth and all that they contain, yet He needs nothing of them. He gives provisions to all living things, through water and plants. But He is free of all need. “To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. God alone is indeed free of all want, worthy of all praise.” (Verse 64) He is in need of nothing of what lives in the heavens and earth. Indeed all praise is due to Him for the favours He bestows on all His creatures.