6. Is Allah powerless?

When the following verses of the Quran (2:15, 2:88, 2:89, 2:152, 2:158, 2:159, 2:161, 3:87, 4:46, 4:47, 4:52, 4:93, 4:118, 4:147, 5:13, 5:60, 7:44, 9:68, 9:79, 11:18, 24:7, 33:57, 33:64, 38:78, 47:23, 48:6, 64:17, 76:22) are viewed superficially they seem to portray Allah as weak.

But Allah is omnipotent, the moment he orders anything to ‘Be’ it comes into being. 

However, sentences like ‘Allah is planning’ ‘Allah is mocking’ and ‘Allah is deceiving’ are found in these verses.

A few may wonder how traits like deceiving, mocking, characteristics of weak incapable persons could be associated with omnipotent God. In most languages of the world, one could see the usage of such words not in their direct sense. To elucidate this, one can cite the example of these words “If you cross the limits, I will also cross the limit”, here the word ‘cross the limit’ usage has the direct meaning in the first instance and the subsequent usage means retaliation, hence retaliation does not amount to crossing the limits here, it’s an implication. 

 Hence the phrase ‘when they mock Allah, He mocks them’ must be taken implying there is impending punishment for those who mock Him. Similarly, the phrase ‘They scheme’ and ‘so does He’ should be understood as their scheme will be brought to naught.

So, the words in the Quran that imply retaliation portraying divine characteristics in bad light should be understood this way. Such words are not only used in a reprimanding manner but also in appreciation.

In the Quran we find the phrase ‘When you remember me, I remember you’, and ‘when you thank me, I thank you’. The Al-Mighty need not remember us nor thank us. So, this should be understood as it would be awarded appropriately. God’s curse means God’s punishment.