(… قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيًّا) (Say, “Is it other than Allah I should take as a protector,…): This verse condemns, chides and reproaches those who take other than the Originator of the heavens and the earth as their guardian.
(… أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيًّا… ) (…I should take as a protector …): When you say, ‘My protector is Allah (swt) you are putting your matters in the hands of Allah (swt), Whom nothing can ever afflict. He is The Strong and will remain so. He is the All-Generous and will remain so. He is the All-Powerful and will remain so. If you were to take another guardian other than Him, it might be strong, but could become weak subsequently, as it is of the creation. It might be rich but could be afflicted with poverty subsequently. It could exist but might not be there all the time. So, it is of the mercy of Allah (swt) to His creation that He is their guardian, and that they are to submit their affairs to Him.
(… قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيًّا) (Say, “Is it other than Allah I should take as a protector,…): Why can’t we take any other guardian besides Allah? The answer is: Because He is the Creator and Originator of the heavens and the earth, and He is the God Whose Perfection is mentioned in all verses, thus He is the only One worthy of being worshipped. As for human beings, happenings tend to occur suddenly upon them time and again, emphasizing their weakness. Thus, they need to seek shelter in someone stronger than them, namely, The Strong and Almighty God.
(… فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ… ) (… Creator of the heavens and the earth,…): The Arabic word of (Creator) has various meanings. It can mean the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It can also bring the meaning of splitting open the heavens and the earth, as Allah (swt) says in this verse:
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
(Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were (once) one mass then We split them apart? And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?) (Al-Anbiyaa: 30)
Some scholars have concluded that Allah (swt) the Creator of the heavens and the earth, used this word because the method of creation was through the method of splitting up which followed the Big Bang, that has been confirmed by science.
(… وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يُطْعَمُ… ) (…, while it is He who feeds and is not fed?” …): Why is the word (feed) used here? The answer: There is provision which is derived directly and provision which is derived indirectly. Provision is also not necessarily in the form of food and drinks. However, Allah (swt) mentions food here as it is the fuel of a human being’s life. It is also a type of direct provision which comes from the creation of Allah (swt), such as plants, cattle and water, as Allah says:
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
(And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?) (Al-Anbiyaa: 30)
He (swt) gives but is not in need of any gifts and He provides and is not in need of any provision. Through this statement, He explains that our worship of Him is a gift to us from Him, and not vice versa. As such, the greatest freedom for a human being is to be a servant of Allah (swt). All of those who call for freedom on the face of this earth can never reach the real meaning of freedom, in the form of servitude, because if you are a servant of Allah (swt), you are free from being a servant to any of Allah’s creations and from being a servant to any of the superpowers on this earth. You will know that no one can harm or give benefit, grant or prevent, raise or debase and join ties or sever them, except Allah Most High. You will know that He is the One gives life and causes death, the One who honours and humiliates. Therefore, the person who is an obedient servant of Allah is the freest person with regards to all the powers which exist on this earth. He will also be free from submitting to his desires.
(… قُلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ… ) (…Say, [O Muhammad], “Indeed, I have been commanded to be the first [among you] who submit [to Allah] …): i.e., the first one to obey. This is because, the word Islam means ‘full submission to the commands of Allah (swt)’. So, when the Prophet (saws) tells us to do or not to do something, or when he informs us that this thing is halal and that is haram, he is the first one who will carry it all out. We know this because Allah (swt) says: (Say} O Muhammad: {“I have been commanded to be the first to submit), meaning, the first one who submits the reigns of his affairs to Allah (swt), and the first one who obeys the commands of Allah (swt).
( وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ… ) (…and [was commanded], ‘Do not ever be of the polytheists.’): Polytheism does not only refer to worshipping idols, statues and the sun. There is also a hidden polytheism, and another one where a person takes his desire as god other than Allah (swt). This latter happens when he obeys his desires, as worshipping Allah (swt) means to obey Him.