31:29 Luqman (Luqman)

ألم تر أن الله يأخذ من ساعات الليل، فيطول النهار، ويقصر الليل، ويأخذ من ساعات النهار، فيطول الليل، ويقصر النهار، وذلَّل لكم الشمس والقمر، يجري كل منهما في مداره إلى أجل معلوم محدد، وأن الله مُطَّلع على كل أعمال الخلق مِن خير أو شر، لا يخفى عليه منها شيء؟

وهذا فيه أيضا، انفراده بالتصرف والتدبير، وسعة تصرفه بإيلاج الليل في النهار، وإيلاج النهار في الليل، أي: إدخال أحدهما على الآخر، فإذا دخل أحدهما، ذهب الآخر.وتسخيره للشمس والقمر، يجريان بتدبير ونظام، لم يختل منذ خلقهما، ليقيم بذلك من مصالح العباد ومنافعهم، في دينهم ودنياهم، ما به يعتبرون وينتفعون.و { كُلّ } منهما { يَجْرِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى } إذا جاء ذلك الأجل، انقطع جريانهما، وتعطل سلطانهما، وذلك في يوم القيامة، حين تكور الشمس، ويخسف القمر، وتنتهي دار الدنيا، وتبتدئ الدار الآخرة.{ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ } من خير وشر { خَبِيرٌ } لا يخفى عليه شيء من ذلك، وسيجازيكم على تلك الأعمال، بالثواب للمطيعين، والعقاب للعاصين.

يخبر تبارك تعالى أنه "يولج الليل في النهار" يعني يأخذ منه في النهار فيطول ذاك ويقصر هذا وهذا يكون زمن الصيف يطول النهار إلى الغاية ثم يشرع في النقص فيطول الليل ويقصر النهار وهذا يكون في زمن الشتاء "وسخر الشمس والقمر كل يجري إلى أجل مسمى" قيل إلى غاية محدودة وقيل إلى يوم القيامة وكلا المعنين صحيح ويستشهد للقول الأول بحديث أبي ذر رضي الله تعالى عنه الذي في الصحيحين أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "يا أبا ذر أتدري أين تذهب هذه الشمس؟" قلت الله ورسوله أعلم. قال "فإنها تذهب فتسجد تحت العرش ثم تستأذن ربها فيوشك أن يقال لها ارجعي من حيث جئت وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا أبو صالح حدثنا يحيى بن أيوب عن ابن جريج عن عطاء بن أبي رباح عن ابن عباس أنه قال: الشمس بمنزلة الساقية تجري بالنهار في السماء في فلكها فإذا غربت جرت بالليل في فلكها تحت الأرض حتى تطلع من مشرقها قال وكذلك القمر إسناده صحيح وقوله "وأن الله بما تعملون خبير" كقوله "ألم تعلم أن الله يعلم ما في السماء والأرض" ومعنى هذا أنه تعالى الخالق العالم بجميع الأشياء كقوله تعالى "الله الذي خلق سبع سموات ومن الأرض مثلهن" الآية.

Have you not seen have you not realised O you being addressed that God makes the night pass into the day and makes the day pass into the night such that the increase of the one is relative to the decrease of the other and He has disposed the sun and the moon each of the two running in its course to an appointed term namely to the Day of Resurrection and that God is Aware of what you do?

This has been stated in the verse: وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ مِن شَجَرَ‌ةٍ أَقْلَامٌ (27) through a similitude. Says the similitude: 'If all trees that are on the earth were to be pens (or pens were to be made of all branches on them) and the ocean (converted into ink) is supported by seven seas following it, the words of Allah would (still) not come to an end.' The expression: کلمات اللہ (kalimatul-lah, i.e. the words of Allah) means His knowledge and wisdom (Ruh ul-Maani and Mazhari) which includes the manifestations of Divine power and Divine blessings. Then, the 'seven seas', referred to here, do not mean that there are seven seas present elsewhere. Instead of that, this is a manner of saying: Suppose if this ocean were to be replenished with seven more oceans, still then, all these words of Allah could not be committed to writing. Even the number of 'seven' appears here as a part of the example. No restriction is intended. Another verse of the Qur'an proves it. There it was said:

قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ‌ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَ‌بِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ‌ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَ‌بِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا

Say, 'If the ocean were to be ink for the Words of my Lord, the ocean would have been consumed before the Words of my Lord are exhausted, even though we were to bring another one, like it, in addition' - Al-Kahf, 18:109.

In this verse, by saying: بِمِثْلِهِ (bimithlihi: like it), a clear hint has been given that, no matter how many oceans are supposed, their collective writing fluid cannot circumscribe the Words of Allah. Rationally, the reason is obvious. The oceans may be added one after the other and be they seven or seven thousand, they shall still remain limited while the Words of Allah (knowledge) are unlimited. How, then, can something limited make an all-encompassing coverage of what is unlimited?

As it appears in some narratives, this verse was revealed in response to a question posed by Jewish priests. The reason which prompted them to ask this question was the verse of the Qur'an where it has been said: وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (and you are not given but a little from the knowledge - A1-'Isra', 17:85). When the Holy Prophet ﷺ came to the blessed city of Madinah, some Jewish priests visited him and it was about this verse that they confronted him by saying, "You say that you have been given a little from the knowledge. Is this what you are saying about your people, or have you included us too therein?" The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "I mean all," that is, 'our people and the Jews and Christians as well.' Thereupon, increasing the tempo of their opposition, they said, "To us, Allah Ta’ ala has given the Torah which stands out as: تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ (an explanation of everything)." He said, "That too is but a little as compared to Divine Knowledge. Then, even the total knowledge contained in the Torah is not known to you either - what you go by is no more than a certain measure of what you need. Therefore, as compared to the Divine Knowledge, the collective knowledge of all Scriptures and Prophets is also nothing but a little." It was to support this statement that the verse: وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ مِن شَجَرَ‌ةٍ أَقْلَامٌ (And if all trees that are on the earth were to be pens... - 27) was revealed. (Ibn Kathir)