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Ayah
Word by Word
لَا
Not
ٱلشَّمۡسُ
the sun
يَنۢبَغِي
is permitted
لَهَآ
for it
أَن
that
تُدۡرِكَ
it overtakes
ٱلۡقَمَرَ
the moon
وَلَا
and not
ٱلَّيۡلُ
the night
سَابِقُ
(can) outstrip
ٱلنَّهَارِۚ
the day
وَكُلّٞ
but all
فِي
in
فَلَكٖ
an orbit
يَسۡبَحُونَ
they are floating
لَا
Not
ٱلشَّمۡسُ
the sun
يَنۢبَغِي
is permitted
لَهَآ
for it
أَن
that
تُدۡرِكَ
it overtakes
ٱلۡقَمَرَ
the moon
وَلَا
and not
ٱلَّيۡلُ
the night
سَابِقُ
(can) outstrip
ٱلنَّهَارِۚ
the day
وَكُلّٞ
but all
فِي
in
فَلَكٖ
an orbit
يَسۡبَحُونَ
they are floating
Translation
It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).
Tafsir
It does not behove - it is [neither] facilitated nor is it right for - the sun to catch up with the moon, and so appear together with it at night, nor may the night outrun the day, and thus it [the night] never arrives before the latter ends and each (kullun: the nunation compensates for the [missing] genitive annexation [that would have been constructed] with al-shams, 'the sun', al-qamar, 'the moon', and al-nujoom, 'the stars') [of these] is in an orbit, swimming, moving - these [celestial bodies] are being treated as [though they were] rational beings.
Proof of the Creator of the Universe and of Life after Death
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says:
وَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ
And a sign for them,
means, evidence for them of the existence of the Creator and His perfect power and ability to resurrect the dead,
الاَۡرۡضُ الۡمَيۡتَةُ
is the dead land.
means, when it is dead and arid, with no vegetation, then Allah sends water upon it, it is stirred (to life), and it swells and puts forth every lovely kind (of growth).
Allah says:
أَحۡيَيۡنَاهَا وَأَخۡرَجۡنَا مِنۡهَا حَبًّا فَمِنۡهُ يَأۡكُلُونَ
We give it life, and We bring forth from it grains, so that they eat thereof.
meaning, `We have made it a provision for them and their cattle.'
وَجَعَلۡنَا فِيهَا جَنَّاتٍ مِن نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعۡنَابٍ وَفَجَّرۡنَا فِيهَا مِنۡ الۡعُيُونِ
لِيَأۡكُلُوا مِن ثَمَرِهِ
And We have made therein gardens of date palms and grapes, and We have caused springs of water to gush forth therein. So that they may eat of the fruit thereof --
means, `We have created therein rivers which flow to the places where they are needed, so that they may eat of their fruits.'
When Allah reminds them of the blessing that He bestows upon His creation by creating crops and plants, He mentions the different types and kinds of fruits.
Allah says:
وَمَا عَمِلَتۡهُ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ
and their hands made it not.
means, all of that could only come about by the mercy of Allah towards them, not by their own efforts and labor and strength.
This was the view of Ibn Abbas and Qatadah.
Allah says:
أَفَلَ يَشۡكُرُونَ
Will they not then give thanks!
meaning, will they not then give thanks for the innumerable blessings that He has bestowed upon them.
Ibn Jarir, however, understood the word Ma to mean Alladhi (i.e., a relative pronoun). In this case the meaning of the Ayah would be that they eat from the fruits provided by Allah's bounty and from what their own hands have done, i.e., by planting the seeds and tending the plants.
Ibn Jarir mentioned other possible interpretations in his Tafsir, but this is the interpretation that he favored. This interpretation also fits with the recitation of Ibn Mas`ud:
لِيَأۡكُلُوا مِن ثَمَرِهِ وَمِمَّا عَمِلَتۡهُ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ أَفَلَ يَشۡكُرُونَ
(So that they may eat of the fruit thereof -- and from what their own hands have done).
Then Allah says
سُبۡحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الاَۡزۡوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الاَۡرۡضُ
Glory be to Him Who has created all the pairs of that which the earth produces,
meaning, of crops and fruits and plants.
وَمِنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡ
as well as of their own (human) kind,
means, He made them into male and female.
وَمِمَّا لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ
and of that which they know not.
means, different kinds of creatures of which they know nothing.
This is like the Ayah:
وَمِن كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ خَلَقۡنَا زَوۡجَيۡنِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ
And of everything We have created pairs, that you may remember. (51:49
Among the Signs of the Might and Power of Allah are the Night and Day, and the Sun and Moon
Allah says:
يُغۡشِى الَّيۡلَ النَّهَارَ يَطۡلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا
He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly. (7:54)
Allah says here:
وَايَةٌ لَّهُمۡ اللَّيۡلُ نَسۡلَخُ مِنۡهُ النَّهَارَ
And a sign for them is the night. We withdraw therefrom the day,
meaning, `We take it away from it, so it goes away and the night comes.'
Allah says:
فَإِذَا هُم مُّظۡلِمُونَ
and behold, they are in darkness.
As it says in the Hadith:
إِذَا أَقۡبَلَ اللَّيۡلُ مِنۡ ههُنَا وَأَدۡبَرَ النَّهَارُ مِنۡ ههُنَا وَغَرَبَتِ الشَّمۡسُ فَقَدۡ أَفۡطَرَ الصَّايِم
When the night comes from here, and the day departs from here, and the sun has set, then the fasting person should break his fast.
This is the apparent meaning of the Ayah.
Allah's saying:
وَالشَّمۡسُ تَجۡرِي لِمُسۡتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ذَلِكَ تَقۡدِيرُ الۡعَزِيزِ الۡعَلِيمِ
And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
There are two views over the meaning of the phrase
لِمُسۡتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا
(on its fixed course for a term (appointed)).
- The first view is that it refers to its fixed course of location, which is beneath the Throne, beyond the earth in that direction. Wherever it goes, it is beneath the Throne, it and all of creation, because the Throne is the roof of creation and it is not a sphere as many astronomers claim. Rather it is a dome supported by legs or pillars, carried by the angels, and it is above the universe, above the heads of people. When the sun is at its zenith at noon, it is in its closest position to Throne, and when it runs in its fourth orbit at the opposite point to its zenith, at midnight, it is in its furthest position from the Throne. At that point it prostrates and asks for permission to rise, as mentioned in the Hadiths.
Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, I was with the Prophet in the Masjid at sunset, and he said:
يَا أَبَا ذَرَ أَتَدۡرِي أَيۡنَ تَغۡرُبُ الشَّمۡسُ
O Abu Dharr! Do you know where the sun sets?
I said, `Allah and His Messenger know best.'
He said:
فَإِنَّهَا تَذۡهَبُ حَتۡى تَسۡجُدَ تَحۡتَ الۡعَرۡشِ فَذَلِكَ قَوۡلُهُ تَعَالَى
It goes and prostrates beneath the Throne, and that is what Allah says:
وَالشَّمۡسُ تَجۡرِي لِمُسۡتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ذَلِكَ تَقۡدِيرُ الۡعَزِيزِ الۡعَلِيمِ
(And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.)
It was also reported that Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, I asked the Messenger of Allah about the Ayah:
وَالشَّمۡسُ تَجۡرِي لِمُسۡتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا
(And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term). He said:
مُسۡتَقَرُّهَا تَحۡتَ الۡعَرۡش
Its fixed course is beneath the Throne.
- The second view is that this refers to when the sun's appointed time comes to an end, which will be on the Day of Resurrection, when its fixed course will be abolished, it will come to a halt and it will be rolled up. This world will come to an end, and that will be the end of its appointed time. This is the fixed course of its time.
Qatadah said:
لِمُسۡتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا
(on its fixed course for a term (appointed)) means,
It has an appointed time and it will not go beyond that.
It was also said that;
this means, it keeps moving in its summer orbit for a certain time, and it does not exceed that, then it moves to its winter orbit for a certain time, and it does not exceed that.
This was narrated from Abdullah bin `Amr, may Allah be pleased with him.
Ibn Mas`ud and Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, recited this Ayah as:
وَالشَّمۡسُ تَجۡرِي لَاامُسۡتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا
(And the sun runs with no fixed course for a term),
meaning that it has no destination and it does not settle in one place, rather it keeps moving night and day, never slowing down or stopping, as in the Ayah:
وَسَخَّر لَكُمُ الشَّمۡسَ وَالۡقَمَرَ دَايِبَينَ
And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly pursuing their courses, to be of service to you. (14:33)
which means, they will never slow down or stop, until the Day of Resurrection.
ذَلِكَ تَقۡدِيرُ الۡعَزِيزِ
That is the decree of the Almighty,
means, which none can oppose or prevent.
الۡعَلِيمِ
the All-Knowing.
Who knows every movement and every cessation of movement, Who has decreed that and Who has set it in motion following a pattern in which there are no differences or inversions, as Allah says:
فَالِقُ الاِصۡبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ الَّيۡلَ سَكَناً وَالشَّمۡسَ وَالۡقَمَرَ حُسۡبَاناً ذَلِكَ تَقۡدِيرُ الۡعَزِيزِ الۡعَلِيمِ
(He is the) Cleaver of the daybreak. He has appointed the night for resting, and the sun and the moon for reckoning. Such is the measuring of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. (6:96)
And this is how this Ayah ends:
ذَلِكَ تَقۡدِيرُ الۡعَزِيزِ الۡعَلِيمِ
(That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing).
Then Allah says
وَالۡقَمَرَ قَدَّرۡنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ
And the moon, We have decreed for it stages,
meaning, `We have caused it to run in a different orbit, from which passing of the months can be deduced, just as night and day are known from the sun.'
This is like the Ayah:
يَسۡـَلُونَكَ عَنِ الَاهِلَّةِ قُلۡ هِىَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالۡحَجِّ
They ask you about the crescent moons. Say:These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage (Hajj). (2:189)
هُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الشَّمۡسَ ضِيَأءً وَالۡقَمَرَ نُوراً وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعۡلَمُواۡ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالۡحِسَابَ
It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon as a light and measured out for it stages that you might know the number of years and the reckoning. (10:5)
and,
وَجَعَلۡنَا الَّيۡلَ وَالنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيۡنِ فَمَحَوۡنَأ ءَايَةَ الَّيۡلِ وَجَعَلۡنَأ ءَايَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبۡصِرَةً لِتَبۡتَغُواۡ فَضۡلً مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَلِتَعۡلَمُواۡ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالۡحِسَابَ وَكُلَّ شَىۡءٍ فَصَّلۡنَاهُ تَفۡصِيلً
And We have appointed the night and the day as two Ayat (signs). Then, We have obliterated the sign of the night while We have made the sign of the day illuminating, that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the number of the years and the reckoning. And We have explained everything with full explanation. (17:12)
So, He has given the sun its own light, and the moon its (reflection of) light, and has given each its own orbit. So the sun rises each day and sets at the end of the day, giving one kind of light all the time, but it moves, rising and setting at different points in the summer and winter, thus making the days and nights longer or shorter alternatively according to the season. Its authority is in the daytime, for it is the heavenly body that dominates the day.
As for the moon, Allah has decreed that it should pass through different phases. At the beginning of the month, the moon appears small when it rises. It gives off little light, then on the second night its light increases and it rises to a higher position, and the higher it rises the more light it gives -- even though it is reflected from the sun -- until it becomes full on the fourteenth night of the month. Then it starts to wane until the end of the month, until it appears like the old dried curved date stalk.
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
This is the original stem (which connects the bunch of dates to the tree).
The Arabs have a name for each set of three nights in a month, according to the phases of the moon.
- They call the first three nights Ghurar;
- the next three nights Nufal;
- the next three nights Tusa` (nine) -- because the last of them is the ninth.
- The next three nights are called `Ushar (ten) -- because the first of them is the tenth.
- The next three nights are called Al-Bid (white) -- because of the light of the moon which shines brightly throughout these three nights.
- The next three nights are called Dura`, the plural of Dar`a', because on the first of them the night is dark from the moon rising late. Dar`a' refers to the black sheep, i.e., the one whose head is black;
- the next three nights Zulam;
- then Hanadis,
- then Da'adi;
- then Mihaq, because of the absence of moonlight at the beginning of the month.
Abu Ubayd did not recognize the names Tusa` and `Ushar, in the book Gharib Al-Musannaf.
حَتَّى عَادَ كَالۡعُرۡجُونِ الۡقَدِيمِ
till it returns like the old dried curved date stalk
لَاا الشَّمۡسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدۡرِكَ الۡقَمَرَ
It is not for the sun to overtake the moon,
Mujahid said,
Each of them has a limit which it does not transgress or fall short of. When the time of one comes, the other goes away, and when the time for one to prevail comes, the time of the other ceases.
Ikrimah said concerning the Ayah,
لَاا الشَّمۡسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدۡرِكَ الۡقَمَرَ
(It is not for the sun to overtake the moon),
this means that each of them has its time when it prevails. So it is not appropriate for the sun to rise at night.
وَلَا اللَّيۡلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ
nor does the night outstrip the day.
means, after night has passed, it is not right for another night to come until it has been day. The authority of the sun is during the day and the authority of the moon is at night.
Ad-Dahhak said,
The night does not depart from here until the day comes from here -- and he pointed to the east.
Mujahid said:
وَلَا اللَّيۡلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ
(nor does the night outstrip the day),
They seek one another rapidly.
The meaning is that there is no gap between night and day; each of them follows the other with no interval, because they have been subjugated and are both constantly pursuing one another.
وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسۡبَحُونَ
They all float, each in an orbit.
means, night and day, the sun and the moon, all of them are floating, i.e., revolving, in their orbits in the heaven.
This was the view of Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and `Ata' Al-Khurasani.
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and others among the Salaf said,
In an orbit like the arc of a spinning wheel.
Among the Signs of Allah is that He carried Them in the laden Ship
Allah tells us:another sign for them of His might and power is that He has subjugated the sea to carry ships, including -- most significantly -- the ship of Nuh , peace be upon him, in which Allah saved him and the believers, apart from whom none of the descendants of Adam were left on the face of the earth.
Allah says:
وَايَةٌ لَّهُمۡ أَنَّا حَمَلۡنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمۡ
And an Ayah for them is that We bore their offspring,
means, their forefathers,
فِي الۡفُلۡكِ الۡمَشۡحُونِ
in the laden ship.
means, in the ship which was filled with luggage and animals, in which Allah commanded him to put two of every kind.
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
Laden means filled.
This was also the view of Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ash-Sha`bi, Qatadah and As-Suddi.
Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said,
This was the ship of Nuh peace be upon him.
وَخَلَقۡنَا لَهُم مِّن مِّثۡلِهِ مَا يَرۡكَبُونَ
And We have created for them of the like thereunto, on which they ride.
Al-`Awfi said, narrating from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him,
This means the camel, for it is the ship of the land on which they carry goods and on which they ride.
Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
Do you know what the Ayah:
وَخَلَقۡنَا لَهُم مِّن مِّثۡلِهِ مَا يَرۡكَبُونَ
(And We have created for them of the like thereunto, on which they ride), refers to
We said, No.
He said,
This refers to the ships which were made after the ship of Nuh, peace be upon him, which was similar to it.
This was also the view of Abu Malik, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, Abu Salih and As-Suddi, that the Ayah
وَخَلَقۡنَا لَهُم مِّن مِّثۡلِهِ مَا يَرۡكَبُونَ
(And We have created for them of the like thereunto, on which they ride), refers to ships
وَإِن نَّشَأۡ نُغۡرِقۡهُمۡ
And if We will, We shall drown them,
means, those who are on board the ships.
فَلَ صَرِيخَ لَهُمۡ
and there will be no shout for them,
means, there will be no one to save them from their predicament.
وَلَا هُمۡ يُنقَذُونَ
nor will they be saved.
means, from what has befallen them
إِلاَّ رَحۡمَةً مِّنَّا
Unless it be a mercy from Us,
means, `but by Our mercy We make it easy for you to travel on land and sea, and We keep you safe until an appointed time.'
Allah says:
وَمَتَاعًا إِلَى حِينٍ
and as an enjoyment for a while.
meaning, until a time that is known to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
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