50:8 Qaaf (The letter Qaaf)

فإن في النظر في هذه الأشياء { تَبْصِرَةً } يتبصر بها، من عمى الجهل، { وَذِكْرَى } يتذكر بها، ما ينفع في الدين والدنيا، ويتذكر بها ما أخبر الله به، وأخبرت به رسله، وليس ذلك لكل أحد، بل { لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُنِيبٍ } إلى الله أي: مقبل عليه بالحب والخوف والرجاء، وإجابة داعيه، وأما المكذب والمعرض، فما تغني الآيات والنذر عن قوم لا يؤمنون.

أي ومشاهدة خلق السموات والأرض وما جعل فيهما من الآيات العظيمة تبصرة ودلاله وذكرى لكل عبد منيب أي خاضع خائف وجل رجاع إلى الله عز وجل.

Allah's Power and Ability over what is Greater than Resurrection

Allah the Exalted notifies the servants of His infinite power, which He demonstrated by creating what is bigger than that which they wondered about and whose possibility they discount,

أَفَلَمْ يَنظُرُواْ إِلَى السَّمَآءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَـهَا وَزَيَّنَّـهَا

(Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have made it and adorned it,) with lamps;

وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُوجٍ

(and there are no Furuj in it) i.e., clefts, according to Mujahid. Others said that Furuj means, rifts, or cracks. All these meanings are close to one another. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,

الَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَتٍ طِبَاقًا مَّا تَرَى فِى خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَـنِ مِن تَفَـوُتٍ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِن فُطُورٍ - ثُمَّ اْرجِعِ البَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ البَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ

(Who has created the seven heavens one above another; you can see no fault in the creation of the Most Gracious. Then look again: "Can you see any rifts" Then look again and yet again, your sight will return to you in a state of humiliation and worn out.) (67:2-4) fatigued, unable to discover any imperfection or shortcomings. The statement of Allah the Exalted, the Blessed,

وَالاٌّرْضَ مَدَدْنَـهَا

(And the earth! We have spread it out, ) means, `We made it spacious and spread it out,'

وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَسِيَ

(and set thereon Rawasi standing firm.) which are the mountains to save the earth from shaking along with its inhabitants,

وَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ

(and We planted in it every lovely (Bahij) pair.) every kind and species of plant, fruit and vegetation,

وَمِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

(And of everything We have created pairs that you may reflect.)(51:49) Allah's saying `Bahij', meaning a beautiful scene,

تَبْصِرَةً وَذِكْرَى لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُّنِيبٍ

(An insight and a Reminder for every servant who turns to Allah in repentance.) Allah says that observing the creation of the heavens and earth and all the great things that He has placed in them provides insight, proof and a lesson for every penitent servant who submits in humbleness and repentance to Allah feeling fear, in awe of Him. Allah the Exalted said,

وَنَزَّلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً مُّبَـرَكاً

(And We send down blessed water from the sky,) meaning beneficial,

فَأَنبَتْنَا بِهِ جَنَّـتٍ

(then We produce therewith Jannat), means special and public parks, gardens, etc.

وَحَبَّ الْحَصِيدِ

(and grain that are reaped) grains that are harvested for food and for storage for later use,

بَـسِقَـتٍ

(And date palms Basiqat,) meaning, tall and high, according to the explanation reported from Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and As-Suddi. Allah said,

لَّهَا طَلْعٌ نَّضِيدٌ

(with arrranged clusters.) producing fruits arranged in clusters,

رِّزْقاً لِّلْعِبَادِ

(A provision for (Allah's) servants.) for (Allah's) creation,

وَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتاً

(And We give life therewith to a dead land.) this is the land that was barren. However, when rain falls upon it, it is stirred to life; it swells and produces all of the lovely pairs such as flowers and the like -- amazing on account of their beauty. All of this comes into existence after the land was without greenery, yet it was stirred back to life and became green. Indeed, this should provide proof of Resurrection after death and disintegration; thus Allah resurrects the dead. This sign of Allah's ability that is seen and witnessed is greater than the denial of those who discount the possibility of Resurrection. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said in other Ayat,

لَخَلْقُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ أَكْـبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ

(The creation of the heavens and the earth is indeed greater than the creation of mankind;) (40:57),

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِى خَلَقَ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَلَمْ يَعْىَ بِخَلْقِهِنَّ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَى أَن يُحْىِ الْمَوْتَى بَلَى إِنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(Do they not see that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and was not wearied by their creation, is able to give life to the dead Yes, He surely is Able to do all things.)(46:33) and,

وَمِنْ ءَايَـتِهِ أَنَّكَ تَرَى الاٌّرْضَ خَـشِعَةً فَإِذَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَآءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ إِنَّ الَّذِى أَحْيَـهَا لَمُحْىِ الْمَوْتَى إِنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(And among His signs (is this), that you see the earth barren; but when We send down water to it, it is stirred to life and growth. Verily, He Who gives it life, surely is able to give life to the dead. Indeed He is Able to do all things.)(41:39)

as an insight tabsiratan is a direct object denoting reason that is to say We did this to give an insight from Us and a reminder for every penitent servant who returns to obedience of Us.

After mentioning the confused state of the infidels, Allah draws man's attention to His infinite power which He demonstrated by creating what is bigger than that which they wondered about and whose possibility they discounted. Referring to the heaven, the Qur'an says: وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُ‌وجٍ (...and it has no cracks...50:6). Lexically, the word furuj is the plural of farj which means a crack, or an opening. This and the following few verses draw attention to the marvels of Allah's creation, the wonderful design in the universe, and to the flawless celestial firmament. If this was made by man there would have been patches, cracks, clefts or rifts. But no one can find any sort of patchwork or stitching in the sky. This, however, does not negate the existence of doors in the heaven. A door is not referred to as a crack: