31:10 Luqman (Luqman)

يتلو تعالى على عباده، آثارا من آثار قدرته، وبدائع من بدائع حكمته، ونعما من آثار رحمته، فقال: { خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ } السبع على عظمها، وسعتها، وكثافتها، وارتفاعها الهائل. { بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا } أي: ليس لها عمد، ولو كان لها عمد لرئيت، وإنما استقرت واستمسكت، بقدرة اللّه تعالى.{ وَأَلْقَى فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ } أي: جبالا عظيمة، ركزها في أرجائها وأنحائها، لئلا { تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ } فلولا الجبال الراسيات لمادت الأرض، ولما استقرت بساكنيها.{ وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ } أي: نشر في الأرض الواسعة، من جميع أصناف الدواب، التي هي مسخرة لبني آدم، ولمصالحهم، ومنافعهم. ولما بثها في الأرض، علم تعالى أنه لا بد لها من رزق تعيش به، فأنزل من السماء ماء مباركا، { فَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ } المنظر، نافع مبارك، فرتعت فيه الدواب المنبثة، وسكن إليه كل حيوان.

يبين سبحانه بهذا قدرته العظيمة على خلق السماوات والأرض وما فيهما وما بينهما فقال تعالى "خلق السماوات بغير عمد" قال الحسن وقتادة ليس لها عمد مرئية ولا غير مرئية. وقال ابن عباس وعكرمة ومجاهد لها عمد لا ترونها. وقد تقدم تقرير هذه المسألة في أول سورة الرعد بما أغنى عن إعادته "وألقى في الأرض رواسي" يعني الجبال أرست الأرض وثقلتها لئلا تضطرب بأهلها على وجه الماء ولهذا قال "أن تميد بكم" أي لئلا تميد بكم. وقوله تعالى "وبث فيها من كل دابة" أي وذرأ فيها من أصناف الحيوانات مما لا يعلم عدد أشكالها وألوانها إلا الذي خلقها ولما قرر سبحانه أنه الخالق نبه على أنه الرازق بقوله "وأنزلنا من السماء ماء فأنبتنا فيها من كل زوج كريم" أي من كل زوج من النبات كريم أي حسن المنظر وقال الشعبي والناس أيضا من نبات الأرض فمن دخل الجنة فهو كريم ومن دخل النار فهو لئيم.

Proofs of Tawhid

Thus Allah explains His mighty power in creating the heavens and the earth, and everything that is within them and between them. He says:

خَلَقَ السَّمَـوَتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ

(He has created the heavens without any pillars) Al-Hasan and Qatadah said, "It does not have any pillars, visible or invisible."

وَأَلْقَى فِى الاٌّرْضِ رَوَاسِىَ

(and has set on the earth firm mountains) means, the mountains which stabilize and lend weight to the earth, lest it should shake with its water. Allah says:

أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ

(lest it should shake with you.)

وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ

(And He has scattered therein moving creatures of all kinds) means, He has placed throughout it all kinds of animals, the total number of whose kinds and colors is known to no one except the One Who created them. When Allah tells us that He is the Creator, He also reminds us that He is the Provider, as He says:

وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ

(And We send down water from the sky, and We cause (plants) of every goodly kind to grow therein in pairs,) meaning, every kind of good produce in pairs, i.e., they are beautiful to look at. Ash-Sha`bi said: "People are also produce of the earth, so whoever enters Paradise is goodly and whoever enters Hell is vile."

هَـذَا خَلْقُ اللَّهِ

(This is the creation of Allah.) means, all that Allah has mentioned here of the creation of the heavens and earth and everything in between stems from His power of creation and control alone, and He has no partner or associate in that, Allah says:

فَأَرُونِى مَاذَا خَلَقَ الَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِ

(So, show Me that which those besides Him have created.) those idols and rivals whom you worship and call upon.

بَلِ الظَّـلِمُونَ

(Nay, the wrongdoers) means the idolators who associate others in worship with Allah

فِى ضَلَـلٍ

(in error) means, they are ignorant and blind.

مُّبِينٌ

(plain) means, it is clear and obvious, and not at all hidden.

He created the heavens without any pillars that you can see ‘amad is the plural of ‘imād which is an ustuwāna ‘a column’ — this is the truth since there are no actual pillars — and cast high mountains into the earth lest it shake with you and He dispersed therein all kinds beasts. And We sent down there is a shift from the third to the second person water from the heaven and We caused to grow in it of every splendid kind every fair specimen.

Commentary

Verse 10 opens with the words: خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ‌ عَمَدٍ تَرَ‌وْنَهَا (He has created the skies without the pillars that you may see). Another verse on the same subject: الَّذِي رَ‌فَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ‌ عَمَدٍ تَرَ‌وْنَهَا (Allah is the One who raised the heavens without pillars. You see them. 13:2) has appeared earlier in Surah Ar-Ra` d ( with a different translation). Analyzed grammatically, the text admits two alternative meanings.

1. If we were to take تَرَ‌وْنَهَا (tarawnah to be the attribute of عَمَدٍ ( ‘am-ad) and revert its pronoun to 'amad, it would mean that Allah Ta` a1a created the skies without pillars that you may see, that is, had the pillars been there, you would have seen them. When pillars are not seen, it is clear that this great roof of the sky has been erected without pillars. This explanation has been reported from Sayyidna Hasan and Qatadah. (Ibn Kathir)

2. And if we were to take the pronoun of: تَرَ‌وْنَهَا (tarawnaha) as reverting to: السَّمَاوَاتِ (as-samawat: the skies) and this sentence as standing independently, then, it would mean that 'Allah Ta’ ala created the skies without pillars as you see.' Then, there is yet another option in the case of the first grammatical analysis whereby it could also be taken to mean that 'The skies stand on pillars that you cannot see - they are invisible.' This last explanation has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas, ` Ikrimah and Mujahid ؓ (IbnKathir).

No matter what the option, the verse does point out to the particular sign of the perfect power of Allah Ta’ ala that He has made this extensive, high and magnificent roof in a way that no column and pillar is seen there-under.