This group of ayahs can also be sorted out...

This group of ayahs can also be sorted out: some indicate the context that Allah's acts, such as creating and managing the world, are true and not vain. Some other, ayahs stress that His acts are not futile. A third group of them say that His acts are not for amusement and fun. From all these ayahs, which confirm both the negative and positive sides of the subject it is gathered that Allah's acts are done for worthy and true aims, and that they are not vain nor for fun or amusement.

Explaining Some Terms Originally, the Arabic word haq (true, truth) means something which is established, certain and proved. This is its linguistic meaning. But, terminologically, it has different usages, though common in letter, i.e. besides its original linguistic usages, which are diverse, it has many further practical usages, which sometimes have conflicting meanings. It is sometimes said that haq means a being which is self-existent, which exclusively means Allah.

So, in this sense the word has but a single application. Sometimes it indicates something which is consistent, continuous, no matter whether it is self-continuous or is caused to be continuous. So, because it has continuity we say it is haq, its opposite being that which is transient, perishing, not haq. The third usage of haq belongs to beliefs. It is said, for example, that so-and-so belief is haq, and so-and-so belief is batil (untrue, invalid).

By a haq belief we mean that which is true and real: "I witness that death is haq (true) and Resurrection is haq." The questioning of Munkar and Nakir [the two angels who interrogate the dead in the gravel is haq. Such beliefs are true and real. Sometimes it is used to describe a statement, saying: "This speech is haq." Here we also mean that it complies with reality and truth. Formerly it was in respect to belief, while here it describes the speech.

However, we may regard these latter two instances to be of the same meaning i.e. haq is that which complies with reality, be it a belief or a statement. In both those examples, that is: a haq belief and a haq statement, the compliance is between the believer and the belief, or the speaker and the speech. Yet, sometimes haq is used as an adjective to a promise, which is predicative not compositive, i.e., somebody promises that he would do so-and-so.

If he actually did it as he promised, we say that his promise was haq, but if he failed to keep his word, we say that his promise was batil (false).