Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Al-Hajj -> The Creator and Controller of this World is Allah

Allah tells us that He is the Creator Who directs the affairs of His creation as He wills. He tells us:

﴿قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَـلِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ - تُولِجُ الَّيْلَ فِى الْنَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِى الَّيْلِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَىَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الَمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَىِّ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ﴾

(Say: "O Allah! Possessor of the power, You give power to whom You will, and You take power from whom You will, and You endue with honor whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are able to do all things. You make the night to enter into the day, and You make the day to enter into the night, You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give wealth and sustenance to whom You will, without limit.) ﴿3:26-27﴾ The meaning of "merging'' the night into the day and the day into the night is that the one encroaches upon the other, and vice versa. Sometimes the night is long and the day is short, as in winter, and sometimes the day is long and the night is short, as in summer.

﴿وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ﴾

(And verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer.) He hears what His servants say, and He sees them, nothing about them or their movement is hidden from Him whatsoever. When Allah tells us that He is controlling the affairs of all that exists, and that He judges, and there is none to reverse His judgement, He says:

﴿ذلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ﴾

(That is because Allah -- He is the Truth,) meaning, the true God, besides Whom no one deserves worship. He is the Possessor of the greatest sovereignty; whatever He wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen. Everything is in need of Him and submits to Him.

﴿وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَـطِلُ﴾

(and what they invoke besides Him, it is false.) meaning, the idols and false gods. Everything that is worshipped instead of Him -- may He be exalted -- is false, because it can neither bring benefit nor cause harm.

﴿وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْكَبِيرُ﴾

(And verily, Allah -- He is the Most High, the Most Great.) This is like the Ayat:

﴿وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْعَظِيمُ﴾

(and He is the Most High, the Most Great) ﴿42:4﴾

﴿الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ﴾

(the Most Great, the Most High) ﴿13:9﴾. Everything is subject to His might and power; there is no God except Him and no Lord besides Him, because He is the Almighty and there is none mightier than He, the Most High and there is none higher than He, the Most Great and there is none greater than He. Exalted, sanctified, and glorified be He far above all that the evildoers say.

﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَتُصْبِحُ الاٌّرْضُ مُخْضَرَّةً إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ - لَّهُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُوَ الْغَنِىُّ الْحَمِيدُ - أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَالْفُلْكَ تَجْرِى فِى الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَيُمْسِكُ السَّمَآءَ أَن تَقَعَ عَلَى الاٌّرْضِ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ - وَهُوَ الَّذِى أَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ إِنَّ الإِنْسَـنَ لَكَفُورٌ ﴾

(63. See you not that Allah sends down water from the sky, and then the earth becomes green Verily, Allah is the Most Kind and Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things.) (64. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. And verily, Allah -- He is Rich, Worthy of all praise.) (65. See you not that Allah has subjected to you all that is on the earth, and the ships that sail through the sea by His command He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except by His leave. Verily, Allah is for mankind, full of kindness, Most Merciful.) (66. It is He, Who gave you life, and then will cause you to die, and will again give you life. Verily, man is indeed Kafurun.)