At a glance
Summary
The third verse of Surat al-An'am describes God as being in the heavens and on earth; see al-An'am 3. In al-Tashil, Ibn Juzayy gives three ways of attaching this phrase and understanding it, and weighs them. 1 This entry sets them out as he gives them.
The three readings
- 'In the heavens' attaches to the meaning of the name 'God', so the sense is like the verse saying He is the One who is God in heaven and God on earth (see al-Zukhruf 84), as one says 'the Commander of the Faithful is caliph in the east and the west'. Ibn Juzayy says this is preferable and more eloquent, because the name 'God' gathers all the attributes — knowledge, power, wisdom and the rest — and so combines them with brevity. 1
- The phrase is the predicate, attached to an omitted participle, with a sense close to the first; or, it is said, the meaning is that He is in the heavens and the earth by His knowledge, like the verse saying He is with you wherever you are (see al-Hadid 4). Ibn Juzayy says this is supported by the context, which is about God's awareness and knowledge, since the verse goes on to say He knows what you conceal and what you reveal. 1
- It attaches to an omitted word meaning 'the One worshipped in the heavens and on earth', an epithet of God. 1
Disagreement and views
Opinions on the question
The question: Attaching the phrase in al-An'am 3
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame) · Sunni: Ibn Juzayy's preferred readingMain reference
More opinions (3)
Sunni tradition (the museum's frame) · Sunni: a reading Ibn Juzayy reports and supports from the contextMain reference
Sunni tradition (the museum's frame) · Sunni: a third reading Ibn Juzayy reportsMain reference
Not yet given here viewOther opinion
Connections
People and things also explored
Tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis)· al-Muharrar al-Wajiz fi Tafsir al-Kitab al-'Aziz (Tafsir Ibn Atiyya)· Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad (author of al-Tashil)· Tafsir Ibn Juzayy (al-Tashil li-Ulum al-Tanzil)· Dreams (ahlam)· Shama'il Muhammadiyya· Ghanima (spoils of war)· Sacred hadith (hadith qudsi)
Sources
- Kitab al-Tashil li-Ulum al-Tanzil — Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi, part 2 (Matba'at Mustafa Muhammad, owner of al-Maktaba al-Tijariyya al-Kubra, Cairo, 1st ed., 1355 AH) , p.5
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “How is 'He is God in the heavens and on earth' in Surat al-An'am understood?”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/questions/how-is-he-is-god-in-the-heavens-understood/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-04.
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