16:12 An-Nahl (The Bee)

أي: سخر لكم هذه الأشياء لمنافعكم وأنواع مصالحكم بحيث لا تستغنون عنها أبدا، فبالليل تسكنون وتنامون وتستريحون، وبالنهار تنتشرون في معايشكم ومنافع دينكم ودنياكم، وبالشمس والقمر من الضياء والنور والإشراق، وإصلاح الأشجار والثمار والنبات، وتجفيف الرطوبات، وإزالة البرودة الضارة للأرض، وللأبدان، وغير ذلك من الضروريات والحاجيات التابعة لوجود الشمس والقمر. وفيهما وفي النجوم من الزينة للسماء والهداية في ظلمات البر والبحر، ومعرفة الأوقات وحساب الأزمنة ما تتنوع دلالاتها وتتصرف آياتها، ولهذا جمعها في قوله { إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ } أي: لمن لهم عقول يستعملونها في التدبر والتفكر فيما هي مهيأة له مستعدة تعقل ما تراه وتسمعه، لا كنظر الغافلين الذين حظهم من النظر حظ البهائم التي لا عقل لها.

ينبه تعالى عباده على آياته العظام ومننه الجسام في تسخيره الليل والنهار يتعاقبان والشمس والقمر يدوران والنجوم الثوابت والسيارات في أرجاء السموات نورا وضياء ليهتدى بها في الظلمات وكل منها يسير في فلكه الذي جعله الله تعالى فيه يسير بحركة مقدرة لا يزيد عليها ولا ينقص عنها والجميع تحت قهره وسلطانه وتسخيره وتقديره وتسهيله كقوله "إن ربكم الله الذي خلق السموات والأرض في ستة أيام ثم استوى على العرش يغشي الليل النهار يطلبه حثيثا والشمس والقمر والنجوم مسخرات بأمره ألا له الخلق والأمر تبارك الله رب العالمين" ولهذا قال "إن في ذلك لآيات لقوم يعقلون" أي لدلالات على قدرته تعالى الباهرة وسلطانه العظيم لقوم يعقلون عن الله ويفهمون حججه.

Signs in the Subjection of Night and Day, the Sun and the Moon, and in that which grows on Earth

Allah mentions the mighty signs and immense blessings to be found in His subjection of night and day, which follow one another; the sun and moon, which revolve; the stars, both fixed and moving through the skies, offering light by which people may find their way in the darkness. Each of (these heavenly bodies) travels in its own orbit, which Allah has ordained for it, and travels in the manner prescribed for it, without deviating in any way. All of them are under His subjugation, His control and His decree, as Allah says:

إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِى خَلَقَ السَمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِى الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالاٌّمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

(Indeed, your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then He rose (Istawa) over the Throne. He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created) the sun, the moon, the stars (all) subjected to His command. Surely, His is the creation and commandment. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all that exists!) (7:54) Thus Allah says;

إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

(Surely, in this are proofs for people who understand.) meaning, they are indications of His immense power and might, for those who think about Allah and understand His signs.

وَمَا ذَرَأَ لَكُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ

(And whatsoever He has created of varying colors on the earth for you. ) When Allah points out the features of the skies, He also points out the wondrous things that He has created on earth, the variety of its animals, minerals, plants and inanimate features, all having different colors and shapes, benefits and qualities.

إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ

(Verily, in this is a sign for people who reflect.) meaning (those who remember) the blessings of Allah and give thanks to Him for them.

And He disposed for you the night and the day and the sun wa’l-shamsa read in the accusative as a supplement to what precedes it; or read wa’l-shamsu in the nominative as a subject of a new sentence and the moon and the stars also read both ways are disposed musakhkharātin read in the accusative as a circumstantial qualifier or in the nominative musakhkharātun as a predicate by His command by His will. Surely in that there are signs for people who understand a people who reflect.

Before we move to the next verse, let us clarify the first sentence of verse 12: سَخَّرَ‌ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ‌ (And He has subjugated for you the day and the night). Here, 'subjugating the day and the night' means that Allah made them subservient to His command in order that they can serve man, pursuant to which the night brings comfort to him and the day smooths out the avenues of his work. 'Subjugating them' never means that the day and the night start alternating under human command.

He it is who sends down water from heaven.... Surely in that is a sign for a people who reflect... signs for a people who use intellect... a sign for a people who remember. He is an allusion to the Essence, who is an intimation of the attributes, and sends down reports about the acts. Thus you will know that God has Essence, attributes, and acts. He is eternal in Essence, noble in attributes, wise in acts; without associate in Essence, without ambiguity in attri- butes, and without cause in acts. The servants gazes upon His artisanry, then flee from the artisanry to gaze upon the attributes, then flee from the attributes to gaze upon the Essence. These are the stations of the wayfarers' traveling and the degrees of the recognizers' recognition. One must have reflection in gazing upon the artisanry, knowledge in gazing on the attributes, and remembrance in gazing on the Essence. This is why the Lord of the Worlds says, “Surely in that is a sign for a people who reflect.” Then, after that, He says, “signs for a people who use intel- lect.” Then, after that, He says “a sign for a people who remember.” In other words, recognition will be gained in this order: first reflection, then knowledge, then, at that point, he will remember through the continuity of knowledge. First he reflects, putting his gaze in its place. If no defect falls into his gaze, then inevitably he gains knowledge; and in reality there is no difference between intellect and knowledge. Then, after that, the gaze becomes continuous, and the continuity of the gaze is the remembering of which He speaks. It has been said that He says “signs for a people who use intellect” in the plural only because someone gains many knowledges in order to become a recognizer, and every part of knowledge is gained through a different sign and indicator. The knower has signs and indicators before he becomes a recognizer of his Lord, because the indicator for one question is different from the in- dicator for another question. With one indicator he knows the necessity of gazing on Him, with many indicators he becomes a recognizer of his Lord, and with one indicator he knows that it is necessary to remember the various sorts of his knowledge.