37:5 As-Saaffaat (Those drawn up in Ranks)

{ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَرَبُّ الْمَشَارِقِ } أي: هو الخالق لهذه المخلوقات، والرازق لها، المدبر لها،.فكما أنه لا شريك له في ربوبيته إياها، فكذلك لا شريك له في ألوهيته،. وكثيرا ما يقرر تعالى توحيد الإلهية بتوحيد الربوبية، لأنه دال عليه. وقد أقر به أيضا المشركون في العبادة، فيلزمهم بما أقروا به على ما أنكروه.

وقوله عز وجل "إن إلهكم لواحد رب السموات والأرض" هذا هو المقسم عليه أنه تعالى لا إله إلا هو رب السموات والأرض "وما بينهما" أي من المخلوقات "ورب المشارق" أي هو المالك المتصرف في الخلق بتسخيره بما فيه من كواكب ثوابت وسيارات تبدو من المشرق وتغرب من المغرب واكتفى بذكر المشارق عن المغارب لدلالتها عليه وقد صرح بذلك في قوله عز وجل "فلا أقسم برب المشارق والمغارب إنا لقادرون" وقال تعالى فى الآية الأخرى "رب المشرقين ورب المغربين" يعني في الشتاء والصيف للشمس والقمر.

The Virtues of Surat As-Saffat

An-Nasa'i recorded that `Abdullah bin `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to command us to make our prayers short and he used to recite As-Saffat when he lead us in prayer." This was recorded by An-Nasa'i only.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

It was reported that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

وَالصَّـفَّـتِ صَفَّا

"(By those ranged in ranks.) -- they are the angels;

فَالزَجِرَتِ زَجْراً

(By those who drive the clouds in a good way. ) they are the angels;

فَالتَّـلِيَـتِ ذِكْراً

(By those who bring the Dhikr.) they are the angels." This was also the view of Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Masruq, Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas. Qatadah said, "The angels form ranks in the heavens." Muslim recorded that Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«فُضِّلْنَا عَلَى النَّاسِ بِثَلَاثٍ: جُعِلَتْ صُفُوفُنَا كَصُفُوفِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ، وَجُعِلَتْ لَنَا الْأَرْضُ كُلُّهَا مَسْجِدًا، وَجُعِلَ لَنَا تُرَابُهَا طَهُورًا، إِذَا لَمْ نَجِدِ الْمَاء»

(We have been favored over the rest of mankind in three ways: our ranks have been made like the ranks of the angels; the entire earth has been made a Masjid for us; and its soil has been made a means of purification for us if we cannot find water.)" Muslim, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah recorded that Jabir bin Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«أَلَا تَصُفُّونَ كَمَا تَصُفُّ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ؟»

(Will you not form ranks as the angels form ranks in the presence of their Lord) We said, `How do the angels form ranks in the presence of their Lord' He said:

«يُتِمُّونَ الصُّفُوفَ الْمُتَقَدِّمَةَ، وَيَتَرَاصُّونَ فِي الصَّف»

(They complete the rows nearer the front and they consolidate the rows. )" As-Suddi and others said that the Ayah

فَالزَجِرَتِ زَجْراً

(By those who drive the clouds in a good way. ) means that they drive the clouds.

فَالتَّـلِيَـتِ ذِكْراً

(By those who bring the Dhikr.) As-Suddi said, "The angels bring the Scriptures and the Qur'an from Allah to mankind."

The One True God is Allah

إِنَّ إِلَـهَكُمْ لَوَاحِدٌ رَبُّ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

(Verily, your God is indeed One, Lord of the heavens and the earth,) This is the One by Whom the oath is sworn, stating that there is no God worthy of worship but He, Lord of the heavens and the earth,

وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَآ

(and all that is between them,) means, of created beings.

وَرَبُّ الْمَشَـرِقِ

(and Lord of every point of the sun's risings.) means, He is the Sovereign Who is controlling His creation by subjugating it and all that is in it of stars, planets and heavenly bodies which appear from the east and set in the west. Mentioning the east is sufficient and there is no need for the west to be mentioned too, because it is implied in what is said. This has also been stated clearly elsewhere, in the Ayat:

فَلاَ أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَـرِقِ وَالْمَغَـرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَـدِرُونَ

(So I swear by the Lord of all the points of sunrise and sunset in the east and the west that surely We are able.) (70:40)

رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ

((He is) the Lord of the two easts and the Lord of the two wests. ) (55:17) which refers to the rising and setting points of the sun and the moon in both winter and summer.

Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them and Lord of the sun’s risings that is as well as the sun’s settings — each day it the sun has a rising and a setting.

It was said: رَّ‌بُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَرَ‌بُّ الْمَشَارِ‌قِ (the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and Lord of the points of the sunrise. - 37:5). Now, a Being to whom goes the credit of having created and sustained such a mind-boggling range of creations has to be the One most deserving of ownership. And this entire universe is a positive proof of His existence and Oneness. The word: الْمَشَارِ‌قِ (al-mashariq) as used here is the plural form of مَشرِق mashriq or East. Since, the sun rises from a new point every day of the year, therefore, its orientations in the East are many, and it is on this basis that the plural form has been employed here.

The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between the two, and the Lord of the easts. It is God who is the creator and keeper of the seven heavens and the seven earths. He is the form- giver to every form and the embellisher of every picture. He is without associate, without likeness, without equal, and without helper. He is loyal to the friends and lover of the faithful: God is the friend of those who have faith [2:257]. He is generous to the recognizers and gentle and beautiful doing toward the servants: God is gentle to His servants [42:19]. In terms of allusion He is saying, “The creator without cause am I, the enactor without tool am I, the all-subjugating without artifice am I, the all-forgiving without delay am I, the all-curtaining of every slip am I. I created so that you would see power, I show you hell so that you will see punishment, I keep you on the path so that you will see solicitude, I forgive your sins so that you will see bounty and mercy, I convey you to the Garden so that you will see generosity, I place you on the throne so that you will see exaltedness, I give you wine so that you will see pleasure, I greet you with 'Peace' so that you will see felicitations, I lift up the veil of majesty so that you will see encounter and vision.”