24:44 An-Noor (The Light)

{ يُقَلِّبُ اللَّهُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ } من حر إلى برد، ومن برد إلى حر، من ليل إلى نهار، ومن نهار إلى ليل، ويديل الأيام بين عباده، { إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِأُولِي الْأَبْصَارِ } أي: لذوي البصائر، والعقول النافذة للأمور المطلوبة منها، كما تنفذ الأبصار إلى الأمور المشاهدة الحسية. فالبصير ينظر إلى هذه المخلوقات نظر اعتبار وتفكر وتدبر لما أريد بها ومنها، والمعرض الجاهل نظره إليها نظر غفلة، بمنزلة نظر البهائم.

أي يتصرف فهما فيأخذ من طول هذا في قصر هذا حتى يعتدلا ثم يأخذ من هذا في هذا فيطول الذي كان قصيرا ويقصر الذي كان طويلا والله هو المتصرف في ذلك بأمره وقهره وعزته وعلمه "إن فى ذلك لعبرة لأولى الأبصار" أي لدليلا على عظمته تعالى كما قال تعالى "إن في خلق السموات والأرض واختلاف الليل والنهار لآيات لأولي الألباب" وما بعدها من الآيات الكريمات.

The Power of Allah to create the Clouds and that which comes from Them

Allah tells us that He drives the clouds from the beginning, when they are formed and are still weak. This is the "Gentle driving."

ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُ

(then joins them together,) means, He brings them together after they have been scattered.

ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ رُكَاماً

(then makes them into a heap of layers,) means, He piles them up on top of one another.

فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ

(and you see the Wadq) meaning the rain,

يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلاَلِهِ

(come forth from between them;) means, from the gaps between them. This is how it was understood by Ibn `Abbas and Ad-Dahhak. `Ubayd bin `Umayr Al-Laythi said: "Allah sends the scatterer wind, which stirs up that which is on the surface of the earth. Then he sends the generator wind, which forms the clouds. Then He sends the joiner wind which brings them together. Then He sends the fertilizer wind which fertilizes or `seeds' the clouds." This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir.

وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِن بَرَدٍ

(and He sends down from Min the sky, from Min mountains in it of Min ice,) Some of the grammarians said that the first Min describes the place from which it is coming, the second specifies from which part of the sky it comes, and the third means some kind of mountains. This is based on the view of those scholars of Tafsir who say that,

مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِن بَرَدٍ

(from Min mountains in it of Min ice) means that there are mountains of hail in the sky from which Allah sends down ice. As for those who say that "mountains" here is used as a metaphor for clouds, they think that the second Min is also used to describe the place from which the ice is coming, and is thus interchangeable with the first. And Allah knows best.

فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَآءُ

(and strikes therewith whom He wills, and averts it from whom He wills.) It may be that the phrase

فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ

(and strikes therewith) means, with what He sends down from the sky of different kinds of rain and hail. So then the phrase

فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَآءُ

(and strikes therewith whom He wills) means, by His mercy towards them, and

وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَآءُ

(and averts it from whom He wills. ) means, He withholds rain from them. Or it may be that

فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ

(and strikes therewith) means, with hail, as a punishment towards whomever He wills, striking their fruits and destroying their crops and trees. And He averts it from whomever He wills as a mercy towards them.

يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرْقِهِ يَذْهَبُ بِالاٌّبْصَـرِ

(The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight.) the brightness of its lightning almost takes away their sight if the eyes follow it and try to look at it.

يُقَلِّبُ اللَّهُ الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ

(Allah causes the night and the day to succeed each other.) He is controlling them, so that He takes something from the length of one and adds it to the other, which is short, until they become equal, then He does the opposite so that the one which was short becomes long and vice versa. Allah is the One Who is controlling that by His command, power, might and knowledge.

إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لاوْلِى الاٌّبْصَـرِ

(Truly, in this is indeed a lesson for those who have insight.) means, this is an indication of His greatness, may He be exalted. This is like the Ayah:

إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَاخْتِلَـفِ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لاّيَـتٍ لاٌّوْلِى الاٌّلْبَـبِ

(Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding.) 3:190 and thereafter.

God alternates the night and the day that is He brings one in place of the other. Surely in that alternation there is a lesson an indication for those who see those possessing insight an indication of God’s power exalted be He.

مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا

From the sky mountains (of clouds) having hail in them - 43.

Here the word سَمَاء is purported for clouds, and Jibal جِبَالٍ (mountains) for big masses of clouds, while hails are called Barad.

God turns about the night and the day. Surely in that is a lesson for the possessors of eyes. WāsiṬī said, “No one has ever opposed Him and no one has ever conformed with Him. All of them are put to use by His will and His power. How can there be conformity and opposition when He turns about the night and the day along with what is within them and He stands over the things and in the things through their subsistence and their annihilation. Finding does not become intimate with Him, nor does not finding bring about alienation.” Whatever the ulama have said is a report and whatever the shaykhs have said is a tradition. The reality of the Real is beyond reports and traditions. A field has been placed before the creatures and the call has gone out, “O folk of the world! Step into this field and walk in the veil. Know not where you go, and know not whence you are coming. Set out from the threshold of Our knowledge and settle down at the threshold of Our de- cree. Tighten the belt of serving Us and keep watch over Our will. Be ready for Our power, which comes along with Our pardon and forgiveness and Our severity and punishment. 'The power of the powerful suspends every contrivance.'” When someone's secret core is the mine of secret whispering, his heart is in the grasp of joy, his forehead has the mark of prosperity, and the eye of his certainty sees with the light of learn- ing lessons from the acts of the Majestic, then he will be aware of the secrets and intimations in these verses and understand these states, for the Exalted Lord says, “Surely in that is a lesson for the possessors of eyes.” In another place He says, “Surely in that is a reminder for him who has a heart” [50:37].