The verse begins with Allah's most sacred Essence, and greatest of Attributes, that cannot contain in our understandings, and no words can express Him! Perhaps the only FIT-WORD by which we may name the Essence or Attributes of God is the pronoun ``HE'' Allah is a comprehensive name of HIS Substance - all in all. A name that repudiates any idea or suggestion that there can be any compeers of Allah, who is the true living One God.
`HE is the ever living, Self - subsisting.'
He lives, but His life is Self - subsisting and Eternal, because His absolute life is His very Essence, knowledge and power. His life does not depend on anything other than His very Self, and is not similar to any other life that are contingent and evanescent. He never dies.
`Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep.'
His life is perfect; so much so that HE is never subject to death nor He needs to have some rest. Therefore His activities never slow down by slumber or sleep. He will never be negligent, heedless, or unaware of His creatures even for the least fraction of time, any where!
`His are all that is in heavens and the earth.'
The fifth attribute mentioned here is His absolute OWNERSHIP of whatever exists in space and time like the heavens and the earth.
Considering that everything belongs to God, and what we have is given to us by Him temporarily, may teach us good lessons of development and evolution, and prevent us from transgressing upon other people.
`Who is he that can intercede with Him, save by HIS permission.'
``No, creature can stand before Him as of right to intercede for another creature, because both of them are dependent upon God's will, unless HE, Himself permits that.'' About INTERCESSION we have given enought detail in Q- S 2:42.
`He knows what is before them and what is behind them. They can grasp only the part of His knowledge that He wills'
God's knowledge is absolute and is not conditioned by time and space. Whatever may contain in time and space are clearly open before Him, and He sees instantly whatever may be before or after; here or there.
Our knowledge which is limited and confined in space and time, gets some reflection of reality when it accords with HIS knowledge, and is a ray of that infinite, Eternal spectrum of Radiation.
`His THRONE comprising the heavens and the earth has extended; And preserving them does not weary Him. He is the Most High the Great.
His kingdom and Power covers and maintains all the heavens and earth and everything in them. By `EVERYTHING' we understand all that exists, whether spiritual or material. Therefore, in everything is the working of God's Power and knowledge, and throughout space and time His Will is done, and His authority accepted.
Imam Sadiq (AS) said: ``The heavens and earth in comparison to the THRONE (ARSH), is like a finger ring fallen in the middle of a very extensive desert!''
