Back to search

What is the wisdom behind the answer being "Lillahi" (to Allah/for Allah) instead of "Allah" when asked "Who?" in the verses: "Say, 'To whom belongs the earth and whoever is in it, if you should know?' (84) They will say, 'To Allah...'" and "Say, 'Who is Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Great Throne?' (86) They will say, 'To Allah...'" and "Say, 'Who is it in whose hand is the dominion of all things, and who protects and is not protected against, if you should know?' (88) They will say, 'To Allah...'"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars differed regarding the recitation of the verse: (سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ - They will say: 'To Allah belongs...'). The majority recited it with the prepositional particle lam (لِلهِ), while Abu Amr recited the haa of the word Allah with a rafa' (nominative case), making it (اللهُ). The meaning of both recitations is clear. Al-Shanqeeti is of the view that Abu Amr's recitation (اللهُ) with a rafa' means that Allah is the Lord of what was mentioned, similar to the poet's saying: "If it is asked, 'Who is the lord of the high places and villages... and the lord of the swift steeds?' I would say: 'To Khalid'." As for Ibn Ashour, he believes that the majority's recitation (لِلهِ) with the prepositional particle lam is an account of their expected answer, and that it is a shift towards the meaning rather than the exact wording, considering that what was being inquired about was observed with the attribute of Lordship, and Lordship necessitates ownership. He adds that this intends to imply that they refrain from saying: "The Lord of the seven heavens is Allah," because they have affirmed other lords alongside Allah.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy