Kun Fayakun Quran
Gianira Jardin
Kun fayakūn (Arabic: کُنْ فَیَکون) is a Qur'anic phrase repeatedly used in Qur'anic verses. The phrase literally means: "be, and (or then) it is". Following hadiths from Imams (a), Shiite exegetes of the Qur'an interpret the phrase as referring to the fact that God's generative will (al-irada al-takwiniyya) to create something amounts to the creation of that thing. Thus, it is not the case that God literally uses the word, "be", as an order to create beings. Shiite mystics believe that residents of the Heaven and mystics are endowed by God with the position of "be, and it is".
However, Sunni exegetes of the Qur'an disagree in their interpretations of Qur'anic verses involving the phrase, "kun fayakun". Most of them believe that God literally uses the word, "kun", in the creation of things. However, others believe that the mention of the word in this case is not verbal, rather it is non-verbal internal. A number of Sunni exegetes hold that the language of these verses is analogical, that is, God has analogized His power to create what He wills to a command issued by a commander which is immediately implemented by his underling.
Imam 'Ali (a) says, "when God wills something, He says, 'be', and then that thing immediately comes to be. This is not to say that His voice or cry is heard. God's word is the same as the thing He creates and informs, which did not exist before that, and if it eternally existed, then God would be a second worshiped entity".[11]
Shi'a mystics take "kun fayakin" to be an existential command, which is identical to the appearance of objects.[12] On this view, the existence of objects is the same as speaking them; all objects are God's existential words. According to Shi'a mystics, people of the Heaven and mystics enjoy the position of "kun fayakun", that is, whatever they will comes into existence at the permission of God. They support their view with the following hadiths:
By reciting this phrase, believers affirm their unwavering faith in the concept of Tawhid, which emphasizes the oneness of Allah, and acknowledge His complete sovereignty over all aspects of creation.
f you are ever feeling lost or hopeless, remember the phrase kun fayakun. It is a reminder that Allah is the creator of the universe, and that He has the power to do anything He wills. With His help, anything is possible.
وَقَالُواْ اتَّخَذَ اللّهُ وَلَدًا سُبْحَانَهُ بَل لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ
To understand this well, we should know the meaning of the Unity of Acts and the creation of all created beings by Allah's Will. Precisely; Unity of Acts, in terms of His acts, does not need any help or helper from outside Himself. Should He use any means for that purpose, the means itself is created by Him and used by Him.
It is not that He needs some help from outside Himself which is not connected to Him, and to be brought from somewhere else, or if so Allah would not be able to do whatever He wants to. No, it is not like that at all. Allah's Acts need none but Himself and His Will alone.
The explanation is that the objective meaning of the phrase / kun fayakun / ('Be! 'and it is) is not that Allah issues a verbal command with the word 'Be', but the reality is that when He wills something to exist it exists. There will be no time between that Will and its existence, not even a moment.
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ لَوْلاَ يُكَلِّمُنَا اللّهُ أَوْ تَأْتِينَا آيَةٌ كَذَلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّثْلَ قَوْلِهِمْ تَشَابَهَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ
If they truly intend to understand the Truth, these very verses revealed to the Prophet (S) are clear Signs to the rightfulness of his Call. Why should some verses be independently and directly revealed to each individual separately? And, what does it mean that a person insists that Allah must speak to him, himself, directly?
This manner, in principle, besides that it is not necessary, contrasts with Divine Wisdom, because firstly, the rightfulness of the prophethood of prophets has been proved to all peoples by way of the verses which were revealed to them themselves.
Secondly, it is not possible for verses and miracles to be revealed to every individual, for this need a special kind of eligibility, preparation, and purity of soul. It closely resembles to a situation in which all the wires of the vast electrical system of a city (the strong thick wires and the very thin ones) be expected to receive the same extraordinarily high amount of electricity that immediately arrives into the initial thick wires directly from the main generator.
This expectation is certainly a vain, incorrect expectation. The engineer who has arranged these various wires for different purposes has calculated the capability of each wire. Some of them convey the electricity directly and immediately from the generator, while some others do it by means of some intermediary wires and with a variety of voltages.
That is, O' Muhammad (S) your responsibility is that you proclaim our commandments to all people, to illustrate the miracles, and to express the facts logically and with clear statements. This action should coincide with persuading the good doers and warning the evil doers. This is your duty.
This idea points to the fact that the passing of time and the instructions of prophets (S) should have had such an effect that the later generations could gain a larger portion of knowledge so that they would put aside vain statements which are a sign of ignorance.
But unfortunately, this group of people usually has no share in the process of development. They are always retrogressive so that it seems as if they belonged to thousands of years ago, and the passing of time has not affected the least change in their minds.
'Glad tidings' and 'warning' or 'encouragement' and' threat', form a great part of the motives of educational and social affairs. A person should be both encouraged for his good deeds and punished for his wrong actions, in order to be prepared for paving the first path and avoiding the second route.
The present followers of Christ (as), for example, believe in 'ransom'. They think that Jesus (as) has been sacrificed for their sins. Even their clergymen sometimes promise them Heaven, and forgiveness for their sins on behalf of the Lord. It is evident that such a group of people may easily commit sins.
In short, those who think mere encouragement is enough in training men (irrespective of children or adults) and threats, punishment and revenge have no place and should be completely put aside, are completely wrong.
These two groups have a mistaken conception of Man, because they do not have this fact in mind: that Man is made up of a combination of hope and fear, love of living and hatred of destruction. His nature is to attract gain and to repel loss.
Observing the parallel between these two principles is particularly essential since if encouragement and hope goes beyond limits, it results in boldness and negligence. And when threats and punishment is abundant, it produces despair and extinguishes the flames of love and vitality.
For the exact same reason, in the verses of the Qur'an, the terms 'glad tidings' and 'warning' have occurred in conjunction with each other. It has happened that the term 'glad tidings' has sometimes preceded the term 'warning', like in the verse under discussion; and sometimes it is vice versa, as in Surah Al-A'raf No.7 Verse 188, which says:
وَلَن تَرْضَى عَنكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلاَ النَّصَارَى حَتَّى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءهُم بَعْدَ الَّذِي جَاءكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلاَ نَصِيرٍ
120. "For, never, will the Jews be pleased with you nor the Christians unless you follow their religion. Say: 'Behold Allah's guidance is the only (true) guidance. And verily if you follow their desires after the knowledge has come to you, you shall have from Allah neither protector nor helper. "
121. "Those to whom We have given the Book read it as it ought to be read, they are the ones that truly believe in it, and whoever disbelieves in it, they shall (surely) be the losers."
On the occasion of revelation of the first of the above verses, it is narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Jews in Medina and the Christians from Najran expected that the Prophet of Islam (S) would traditionally accept the same Qiblah as they had.
When Allah altered the Qiblah from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah, they became disheartened with the Prophet of Islam (S). (Perhaps, some of the Muslim believers, too, criticized that they should not do anything that would offend the Jews and the Christians).
The above verse was revealed and informed the Prophet (S) that that group of Jews and Christians would be satisfied with him neither by coming into agreement upon the Qiblah nor by anything else except that he would follow their creeds. 3
Some others have narrated that the Prophet (S) insisted very much on convincing them to accept Islam. The above verse was revealed telling him (S) to disregard that idea because never would they be pleased with him unless he followed their religion. 4
There are also various narrations upon the occasion of revelation of the second of the above verses. Some of the commentators believe that this verse was revealed about those people who came with Ja'far-ibn-Abitalib from Abyssina to Medina.