Transliteration:( Qul limam maa fis samaawaati wal ardi qul lillaah; kataba 'alaa nafsihir rahmah; la yajma 'annakum ilaa Yawmil Qiyaamati laa raiba feeh; allazeena khasirooo anfusahum fahum laa yu'minoon )
"Please declare: 'To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and in the earth?' [23] Please declare: 'It belongs to Allah. He has made it obligatory for Himself [24] to confer His Mercy with generosity. He will surely gather you on the Day of Resurrection. There is no doubt in it.' Those who have put their souls in loss would not believe [25]."
The question about ownership of the heavens and earth is asked so that the disbelievers themselves admit it belongs to Allah. If they do not, the Prophet ﷺ is instructed to declare it openly. This method of questioning is more impactful, as answers spoken by one’s own tongue are better remembered and carry greater conviction.
Allah has made Mercy binding upon Himself. In the world, His mercy includes sustenance, delay of punishment, and the sending of Prophets. In the Hereafter, His special mercy is reserved for the believers. This reflects both His justice and His kindness, and affirms that faith guarantees eternal mercy, while disbelief forfeits it.
Those who wilfully deny the truth, despite all signs, have truly lost their souls. This verse may refer to those whom Allah has already declared destined for destruction—like Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl—due to their persistent and arrogant disbelief. However, those who disbelieve out of confusion or ignorance can still be guided back to the path, highlighting the hope for sincere seekers.
12. Say: “To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth” Say: “To Allah.” He has prescribed mercy for Himself. Indeed He will gather you together on the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. Those who destroy themselves will not believe. 13. And to Him belongs whatsoever exists in the night and the day, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” 14. Say: “Shall I take as a guardian any other than Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth And it is He Who feeds but is not fed.” Say: “Verily, I am commanded to be the first of those who submit. ”And be not you of the idolators. 15. Say: “I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the torment of a Mighty Day.” 16. Who is averted from (such a torment) on that Day; then He (Allah) has surely been Merciful to him. And that would be the obvious success.
Allah states that He is the King and Owner of the heavens and earth and all of what is in them, and that He has written mercy on His Most Honorable Self. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs, that Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet said,
(When Allah created the creation, He wrote in a Book that He has with Him above the Throne; `My mercy overcomes My anger.’) Allah said;
(Indeed He will gather you together on the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt.) swearing by His Most Honored Self that He will gather His servants,
(For appointed meeting of a known Day.) ﴿56:50﴾, the Day of Resurrection that will certainly occur, and there is no doubt for His believing servants in this fact. As for those who deny and refuse, they are in confusion and disarray. Allah’s statement,
(Those who destroy themselves) on the Day of Resurrection,
(will not believe. ) in the Return and thus do not fear the repercussions of that Day. Allah said next,
(And to Him belongs whatsoever exists in the night and the day.) meaning, all creatures in the heavens and earth are Allah’s servants and creatures, and they are all under His authority, power and will; there is no deity worthy of worship except Him,
(and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.) He hears the statements of His servants and knows their actions, secrets and what they conceal. Allah then said to His servant and Messenger Muhammad , whom He sent with the pure Tawhid and the straight religion, commanding him to call the people to Allah’s straight path;
(Say: “Shall I take as a guardian any other than Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth”) Similarly, Allah said,
(Say: “Do you order me to worship other than Allah, O you fools”) ﴿39:64﴾. The meaning here is, I will not take a guardian except Allah, without partners, for He is the Creator of the heavens and earth Who orignated them without precedent,
(And it is He Who feeds but is not fed.) For He sustains His creatures without needing them. Allah also said;
(And I created not the Jinn and humans except that they should worship Me (Alone).) ﴿51:56﴾ Some scholars read it, وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يَطْعَمُ “And it is He Who feeds but He does not eat.” meaning, Allah does not eat. Abu Hurayrah narrated, “A man from Al-Ansar from the area of Quba’ invited the Prophet to eat some food, and we went along with the Prophet . When the Prophet ate and washed his hands, he said,
(All praise is due to Allah, Who feeds but is never fed, He bestowed bounty unto us, Who gave us guidance and fed us, gave us something to drink, covered our nakedness; and for every favor He has given us. All praise is due to Allah, praise that should not be neglected, my Lord, all the while affirming that we will never be able to duly thank Him; nor be appreciative enough of Him, nor be free of needing Him. All thanks and praises are due to Allah Who fed us the food, gave us the drink, covered our nudity, guided us from misguidance, gave us sight from blindness, and honored us above many of His creaturers. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all that exists.”)
(Say: “Verily, I am commanded to be the first of those who submit themselves to Allah as (Muslims).”) from this Ummah,
(And be not you of the idolaters. Say: “I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the torment of a Mighty Day.”) ﴿6:14-15﴾, the Day of Resurrection,
(Who is averted from) such a torment,
(on that Day, He has surely been Merciful to him) meaning, Allah will have been merciful to him,
(And that would be the obvious success.) Allah also said,
(And whoever is moved away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful.) ﴿3:185﴾, success here indicates acquiring profit and negates loss.
(6:12) Ask thern: ‘To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and on the earth?’[9] Say: ‘Everything belongs to Allah.’ He has bound Himself to the exercise of mercy (and thus does not chastise you for your disobedience and excesses instantly). Surely He will gather you all together on the Day of Resurrection – the coming of which is beyond doubt; but those who have courted their own ruin are not going to believe.
9. The subtlety of this expression should not go unnoticed. The unbelievers are asked to whom belongs whatever exists in either the heavens or on the earth. The inquirer then pauses to wait for the answer. Those questioned are themselves convinced that all belongs to God, yet while they dare not respond falsely, they are nevertheless not prepared to give the correct answer. Fearing that their response may be used as an argument against their polytheistic beliefs, they keep quiet. At this, the inquirer is told to answer the question himself and to say that all belongs to God.
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