Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 115, like a precious gate within the treasury of the Holy Quran, elucidates divine ownership over the east and the west and the presence of the Face of God in every direction of existence. It functions as a mirror reflecting the reality of the existential unity of the cosmos. This verse, employing a concise and profound language, delineates the relationship among the Truth, humanity, and the universe and, from philosophical, mystical, and theological perspectives, establishes the foundations of the Quranic worldview.
In this composition, adopting a scientific and systematic approach, the content of the primary lecture has been integrated with supplementary analyses and articulated in an exalted style suitable for an academic environment. The structure of the work is organised with clear divisions and meaningful titles, designed to be instructive and engaging for specialists and researchers within the domain of religious sciences.
وَلِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ ۚ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
Translation:
And to Allah belongs the East and the West; so wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Vast and All-Knowing.
This verse, by emphasising the absolute divine ownership over all directions of the worldfrom the east to the westand the presence of the Face of God in every existential turning of man, portrays the most fundamental principles of monotheism in the form of unity within multiplicity. The phrase So wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah serves as a radiant torch guiding humanity towards the divine Truth manifested in all aspects of existence.
Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 115, encompassing the triad of Truth (the Face of Allah), humanity (turning), and the cosmos (east and west), explicates the foundation of the Quranic worldview. This triad demonstrates the relationship among the Creator, the created, and the existential orientation of man in a unified framework.
This triad, examined from the perspective of creation (universe and man) and truth (divine presence), signifies the profound bond among the existential dimensions of the world. Divine ownership of the east and west, as a boundless expanse, encompasses all existence, while human turning symbolises his orientation towards the Truth. This analysis harmonises with Islamic philosophy, which studies existence as a relationship among God, man, and the universe, emphasising unity in the natural course of existence.
The term Tawall, linguistically meaning to turn towards and orientation, in this verse refers to the existential turning of man in all aspects of life. Every breath, glance, or movement, in both material and spiritual spheres, is an expression of this turning guided towards the Face of Allah. This concept aligns with the theory of renewal of creation in Islamic mysticism, which regards each moment as a new manifestation of the Truth, as though man, with every existential motion, returns towards the divine Reality.
The term Wajh in Quranic terminology denotes the reality and the essence of a thing. The Face of Allah symbolises the divine reality manifested in every Tawall and human orientation. It appears in approximately eighty Quranic verses both in the context of divine reality and creation.
Wajh, as the visage and truth of an entity, is introduced in the Holy Quran as a symbol of divine presence in the world. This concept is vividly expressed in verses such as Everything will perish except His Face (Al-Qasas: 88), where the Face of Allah is identified as the remaining reality in the face of the perishability of creation. In the verse under consideration, the Face of Allah is the manifestation that, in every direction, guides man towards the Truth.
Every Tawall is itself a Wajh, and every Wajh is itself a Tawall. This reciprocal relationship signifies unity in the natural course of existence, wherein all Tawalls and Wujh are divine manifestations.
This reciprocal connection, like the circular dance of existence, reveals the profound link between human existential movement and the manifestation of divine Truth. Each Tawall, as an orientation, reveals an aspect of Truth, and each Wajh, in turn, incites a new Tawall within man. This view aligns with the concept of unity of existence in theoretical mysticism, where all multiplicities ultimately return to the unity of the Truth.
Existence possesses a unified natural course that can be named divine manifestations, appearances, or creations. This course flows under divine ownership and within the realm of divine knowledge and vastness, expressed through Tawalls and Wujh.
The natural course of existence, like a rushing river, originates from the divine source and, in all its manifestationsfrom east to westdisplays the manifestation of the Truth. This course, introduced in the verse by the phrase And to Allah belongs the East and the West, indicates absolute divine ownership that flows within divine vastness and knowledge (Indeed, Allah is Vast and All-Knowing). This view harmonises with Islamic philosophy concerning unity in multiplicity
