أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَىٰ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّـهُ مِن شَيْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلَالُهُ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَالشَّمَائِلِ
سُجَّدًا لِّلَّـهِ وَهُمْ دَاخِرُونَ
48. Have they not considered what things Allah has created? Their shadows incline to the right and to the left, prostrating to Allah, while they are humble.
Allah informs us about His patience, and how He delays the punishment for the sinners who do evil things and call others to do likewise, plotting to call others to do evil - even though He
﴿مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ﴾
(from where they do not perceive it), meaning in such a way that they do not know where it comes from. As Allah says:
﴿أَءَمِنتُمْ مَّن فِى السَّمَآءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الاٌّرْضَ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَمُورُ - أَمْ أَمِنتُمْ مِّن فِى السَّمَآءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَـصِباً فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ ﴾
(Do you feel secure that He Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not cause you to sink into the earth, when it quakes Or do you feel secure that He Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not send a storm of stones upon you Then you shall know how My warning really is.) (67:16-17).
﴿أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ فِى تَقَلُّبِهِمْ﴾
(Or that He may punish them in the midst of their going to and fro) meaning, when they are busy with their daily business, travel, and other distracting activities. Qatadah and As-Suddi said:
﴿تَقَلُّبِهِمْ﴾
(Their going to and fro) means their journeys.'' As Allah says:
﴿أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَى أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا بَيَـتاً وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ - أَوَ أَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَى أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا ضُحًى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ ﴾
(Did the people of the towns feel secure against the coming of Our punishment by night while they were asleep Or, did the people of the towns feel secure against the coming of Our punishment in the forenoon while they were playing) (7:97-98)
﴿فَمَا هُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ﴾
(so that there be no escape for them (from Allah's punishment)) meaning, it is not impossible for Allah, no matter what their situation.
﴿أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَى تَخَوُّفٍ﴾
(Or that He may punish them where they fear it most) meaning, or Allah will take from them what they most fear, which is even more frightening, because when the thing you most fear to happen does happen, this is even worse. Hence Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said that,
﴿أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَى تَخَوُّفٍ﴾
(Or that He may punish them where they fear it most) means that Allah is saying: If I wish, I can take him after the death of his companion and after he has become frightened of that.' This was also reported from Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and others. Then Allah says:
﴿فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾
(Indeed your Lord is full of kindness, Most Merciful.) meaning, because He does not hasten to punish, as was reported in the Two Sahihs:
«لَا أَحَدَ أَصْبَرُ عَلَى أَذًى سَمِعَهُ مِنَ اللهِ، إِنَّهُمْ يَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ وَلَدًا وَهُوَ يَرْزُقُهُمْ وَيُعَافِيهِم»
(No one is more patient in the case of hearing offensive speech than Allah, for they attribute to Him a son, while He ﴿alone﴾ is giving them provision and good health.) And it is also recorded in Two Sahihs,
«إِنَّ اللهَ لَيُمْلِي لِلظَّالِمِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْه»
(Allah will let the wrongdoer continue until, when He begins to punish him, He will never let him go.) Then the Messenger of Allah recited:
﴿وَكَذلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَى وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ ﴾
(Such is the punishment of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) towns while they are doing wrong. Indeed, His punishment is painful, (and) severe) (11:102) And Allah says:
﴿وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهَا وَإِلَىَّ الْمَصِيرُ ﴾
(And many a township did I give respite while it was given to wrongdoing. Then I punished it. And to Me is the (final) return (of all).) (22:48)
﴿أَوَ لَمْيَرَوْاْ إِلَىخَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلَـلُهُ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَالْشَّمَآئِلِ سُجَّدًا لِلَّهِ وَهُمْوَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ يَخَـفُونَ رَبَّهُمْ مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ ﴾
(48. Have they not observed things that Allah has created: (how) their shadows shift from right to left, prostrating to Allah while they are humble) (49. And to Allah prostrate all that are in the heavens and all that are in the earth, the moving creatures and the angels, and they are not proud ﴿i.e. they worship their Lord (Allah) with humility.) (50. They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.)
وَلِلَّـهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن دَابَّةٍ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
49 And to Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth of creatures, and the angels [as well], and they are not arrogant.
Allah informs us about His might, majesty and pride, meaning that all things submit themselves to Him and every created being - animate and inanimate, as well as the responsible - humans and Jinns, and the angels - all humble themselves before Him. He tells us that everything that has a shadow leaning to the right and the left, i.e., in the morning and the evening, is by its shadow, prostrating to Allah. Mujahid said, "When the sun passes its zenith, everything prostrates to Allah, may He be glorified.'' This was also said by Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others.
﴿لِلَّهِ وَهُمْ﴾
(while they are humble) means, they are in a state of humility. Mujahid also said: "The prostration of every thing is its shadow'', and he mentioned the mountains and said that their prostrations are their shadows. Abu Ghalib Ash-Shaybani said: "The waves of the sea are its prayers''. It is as if reason is attributed to these inanimate objects when they are described as prostrating, so Allah says:
﴿وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ مِن دَآبَّةٍ﴾
(And to Allah prostrate all that are in the heavens and all that are in the earth, of the moving creatures) As Allah says:
﴿وَللَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَظِلَـلُهُم بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالاٌّصَالِ ﴾
(And to Allah (alone) all who are in the heavens and the earth fall in prostration, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and in the afternoons.) (13:15)
﴿وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ﴾
(and the angels, and they are not proud.) means, they prostrate to Allah and are not too proud to worship Him.
﴿يَخَـفُونَ رَبَّهُمْ مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ﴾
(They fear their Lord above them) means, they prostrate out of fear of their Lord, may He be glorified.
﴿وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ﴾
(and they do what they are commanded.) meaning they continually obey Allah, doing what He tells them to do and avoiding that which He forbids.
﴿وَقَالَ اللَّهُ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ إِلـهَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلـهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَإيَّـيَ فَارْهَبُونِ - وَلَهُ مَا فِى الْسَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَلَهُ الدِّينُ وَاصِبًا أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَتَّقُونَ - وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْـَرُونَ - ثُمَّ إِذَا كَشَفَ الضُّرَّ عَنْكُمْ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْكُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ - لِيَكْفُرُواْ بِمَآ ءاتَيْنَـهُمْ فَتَمَتَّعُواْ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾
(51. And Allah said "Do not worship two gods. Indeed, He (Allah) is only One God. Then fear Me Alone.) (52. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth and the religion. Will you then fear any other than Allah) (53. And whatever of blessings
يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
50. They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.
Allah tells us that there is no god but He, and that no one else should be worshipped except Him, alone, without partners, for He is the Sovereign, Creator, and Lord of all things.
﴿وَلَهُ الدِّينُ وَاصِبًا﴾
(His is the religion Wasiba) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Maymun bin Mahran, As-Suddi, Qatadah and others said that this means forever. It was also reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "It means obligatory.'' Mujahid said: "It means purely for Him,'' i.e., worship is due to Him Alone, from whoever is in the heavens and on earth. As Allah says:
﴿أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللَّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ ﴾
(Do they seek other than the religion of Allah, while to Him submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly. And to Him shall they all be returned.) (3:83) This is in accordance with the opinion of Ibn `Abbas and `Ikrimah, which is that this Ayah is merely stating the case. According to the opinion of Mujahid, it is by way of instruction, i.e., it is saying: You had better fear associating partners in worship with Me, and be sincere in your obedience to Me. As Allah says:
﴿أَلاَ لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ﴾
(Surely, the pure religion (sincere devotion) is for Allah only.) (39:3) Then Allah tells us that He is the One Who has the power to benefit and harm, and that the provisions, blessings, good health and help, His servants enjoy are from His bounty and graciousness towards them.
﴿ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْـَرُونَ﴾
(Then, when harm touches you, to Him you cry aloud for help.) meaning because you know that none has the power to remove that harm except for Him, so when you are harmed, you turn to ask Him for help and beg Him for aid. As Allah says:
﴿وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الْضُّرُّ فِى الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلاَ إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا نَجَّـكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ وَكَانَ الإِنْسَـنُ كَفُورًا ﴾
(And when harm touches you at sea, those that you call upon vanish, except for Him. But when He brings you safe to land, you turn away. And man is ever ungrateful.)(17:67) Here, Allah tells us:
﴿ثُمَّ إِذَا كَشَفَ الضُّرَّ عَنْكُمْ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْكُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ لِيَكْفُرُواْ بِمَآ ءاتَيْنَـهُمْ﴾
(Then, when He has removed the harm from you, behold! some of you associate others in worship with their Lord (Allah). So they are ungrateful for that which We have given them!) (16:54-55) It was said that the Lam here (translated as "So'') is an indicator of sequence, or that it serves an explanatory function, meaning, `We decreed that they would conceal the truth and deny the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon them. He is the One Who bestows blessings and the One Who removes distress.' Then Allah threatens them, saying:
﴿فَتَمَتَّعُواْ﴾
(Then enjoy yourselves) meaning, do what you like and enjoy what you have for a little while.
﴿فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾
(but you will soon come to know.) meaning the consequences of that.
﴿وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِمَا لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ نَصِيبًا مِّمّا رَزَقْنَـهُمْ تَاللَّهِ لَتُسْـَلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنْتُمْ تَفْتَرُونَ - وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ الْبَنَـتِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَلَهُمْ مَّا يَشْتَهُونَ - وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُمْ بِالاٍّنْثَى ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُ مُسْوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ - يَتَوَارَى مِنَ الْقَوْمِ مِن سُوءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِ أَيُمْسِكُهُ عَلَى هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُ فِى التُّرَابِ أَلاَ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ - لِلَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ مَثَلُ السَّوْءِ وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الاٌّعْلَى وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴾
(56. And they assign a portion of that which We have provided them with, to what they have no knowledge of (false deities). By Allah, you shall certainly be questioned about (all) that you used to fabricate.) (57. And they assign daughters to Allah! Glorified (and Exalted) is He (above all that they associate with Him!). And for themselves (they assign) what they desire;) (58. And when the news of (the birth of) a female (child) is brought to any of them, his face becomes dark, and he is filled with inner grief!) (59. He hides himself from the people because of the evil of what he has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonor or bury her in the earth Certainly, evil is their decision.) (60. For those who do not believe in the Hereafter is an evil description, and for Allah is the highest description. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.)
