The exegesis of verse 117 of Surah Al-Baqarah, as a component of the Qur'anic discourse on monotheism, investigates the relationship between the concept of Badi (Innovator) and the negation of attributing offspring to God. This verse, following verse 116, emphasises Gods creativity and absolute power in creation through the command Kun fa-yakn (Be, and it is), offering a scientific and philosophical argument against the claim of God having a partner or child. The core of the discussion is the analytical interpretation of the verse in negating partnership and procreation for God, elucidated with precision and logic through the concepts of Badi, partnership, lexical derivation, and the ontological container of unity. In this treatise, by integrating lecture content and scientific analysis, a comprehensive exposition of the verses is provided, extracting key points and employing refined literary allusions and illustrations to present a coherent, fluent, and engaging text for specialised audiences and academic settings.
قَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ وَلَدًا ۗ سُبْحَانَهُ ۖ بَلْ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ كُلٌّ لَهُ قَانِتُونَ
They said: God has taken a child for Himself. Glory be to Him! Rather, whatever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him; all are obedient to Him.
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
He is the Innovator of the heavens and the earth; and when He decrees a matter, He only says to it, Be, and it is.
Verse 116 of Surah Al-Baqarah, by rejecting the claim of Gods procreation, posits three fundamental arguments: the sanctification of God (Subnahu), His ownership of the entire cosmos (lahu m f al-samwt wa al-ar), and the submission and obedience of all beings to Him (kullun lahu qnitn). Verse 117 adds two additional concepts Badi (Innovation) and Kun fa-yakn (the absolute power of creation) thus supplementing the prior arguments with two further proofs, altogether presenting five conclusive reasons to refute the claim of God having offspring. This structural coherence illustrates a systematic approach within the Noble Quran that utilises multiple arguments to negate any suspicion of partnership or progeny attributed to the Divine Essence.
Verse 116 presents three principal premises in its refutation of the claim of procreation:
These three premises, acting as firm pillars of a logical structure, dismantle the claim of procreation and prepare the foundation for the supplementary arguments of verse 117.
The term Badi al-samwt wa al-ar refers to Gods unprecedented creativity: a creation without precedent and without any need for a partner or pre-existing material. Badi is akin to a gardener who plants the sapling of existence in the soil of unity without any prior pattern or matter. Kun fa-yakn denotes Gods absolute power in creation, whereby with a single command, beings are brought from non-existence into existence. These two concepts negate any equality between Creator and creation and thereby invalidate the claim of God having offspring, as procreation presupposes the existence of material or partner at the level of creation, which conflicts with Gods Badi nature.
Verses 116 and 117 of Surah Al-Baqarah reject the claim of Gods offspring categorically by presenting five arguments (sanctification, ownership, submission, innovation, and absolute power). Badi, as a pivotal concept, demonstrates Gods unprecedented creation, excluding any partner or offspring. These arguments, structured coherently and logically, affirm monotheism against partnership-related doubts.
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ صَاحِبَةٌ ۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
He is the Innovator of the heavens and the earth; how can He have a child when He has no consort? And He created all things, and He is, of all things, Knowing.
Verse 101 of Surah Al-Anm provides a more detailed argument than verse 117 of Al-Baqarah. By adding the two phrases Ann yaknu lahu waladun (How can He have a child?) and Wa lam yakun lahu ibah (and He has no consort), it explicitly emphasises the absence of a consort and Gods creation of all
