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Part 16
Sura Nabaa 78:6-16
6. "Have We
not made the earth as a (wide) expanse?"
"And the mountains as
pegs?"
8. "And We
created you in pairs,"
9. "And We
made your sleep for repose,"
10. "And We
made the night as a covering"
11. "And We
made the day for (seeking) livelihood,"
12. "And We
built above you seven firmaments"
13. "And We
made (therein) a blazing lamp,"
14. "And We
sent town from the clouds water in abundance"
15. "That We
may bring forth thereby grain and plants,"
16. "And
gardens of luxurious growth?"
Commentary:
These
verses are, in fact, an answer to the questions of the rejecters of the Resurrection, and those who differ on /
naba'-in-azim / 'the Great
News' since, these verses mention a portion of the wise order of this world
of being and its reasonable gifts, which have a very effective function in
Man's life. They are, on the one hand, a few of the clear Signs of Allah's power over all things; including
the rebirth of the dead, and on the other hand, they point to the fact that
this Wise order cannot exist in vain since, if with the end of this material
world all other things end, too, this life will certainly be in vain.
Thus,
these verses can be considered as some reasons for the Resurrection from two points of view: (1) Through the 'reasoning of power', and (2) through
the 'reasoning of knowledge'.
In
these eleven verses, twelve important blessings are pointed out, mixed with
grace and affection and accompanied with reasoning and stimulation of the
sentiments. As bare rational reasoning is not quite sufficient, sentiments and
affections are needed.
At
first, it begins with the earth and says: "Have
We not made the earth a (wide) expanse?"
The
term /mihad/, as Raqib cites in his book, Mufradat, means 'a level and tidy place'. It is derived
from the term /mahd/ 'a bed, cradle'. Some
commentators and philologists have rendered it to mean 'bed', which is both soft and comfortable.
The
use of this term, for the earth, is full of meaning because, on the one hand,
most parts of the land are so smooth and level that man can build houses
thereon and prepares gardens and farms thereabout.
On
the other hand, all his necessities are found over the Earth or hidden on its
insides in the form of raw materials and valuable mines.
And,
then again, the earth swallows up man's refuse, and the corpse of the dead are
buried in it; (because of their dissolution and the absorption of their various
microbes in the soil), to be vanished by the wonderful properties of dust.
Furthermore,
the Earth, itself, rotates and then rotates around the Sun by which the days
and nights and the four seasons of the year appear and these, too, play an
important role in Man's life.
In
addition, the earth stores up, under its surface, much of the water that falls
down from heaven and then, gradually, distributes it through springs and
subterranean canals.
In
short, everything useful for the comfort of the creatures living on the land,
is supplied on this smooth bed; the Earth. The importance of this great
blessing will be made clear only when some slight changes happen to it.
Then,
in order that the importance of the mountains may not be forgotten, in contrast
to the smoothness of the surface of the Earth, it says: "And the mountains as pegs?".
Mountains
have deep and expanding formations joined together under the ground. They,
armour-like, protect the Earth's surface against the inner pressure
caused by the central molten lava, and the outer pressure resulting from the
moon.
Also,
mountains stand as lofty walls in the way of terrible storms, and as safe
abodes for men to rest, therein. If they were not so, Man's life would be quite
uncomfortable under the constant strikes of violent storms.
In
addition, mountains are the source of sweet water as well as different precious
mines.
Adding,
still, to all of the above, the mountains' peaks; like gears of a wheel,
restrain, by friction, the thick air mass around the globe, as if dragging it
along with themselves.
Some
scientists say that if the surface of the Earth were a flat plain, then, when
the globe turns, the air would slide over it and great storms would develop.
This constant turmoil would make the surface too hot and uninhabitable.
After
mentioning these two phenomenal blessings of Allah, it refers to the spiritual signs of Allah and says: "And we
created you in pairs".
The
term /azwaj/ is the plural form of the term /zauj/
which means 'mate, companion, a
couple, and gender (husband or wife)' from which not only is a man created
and through which his generation survives, but also his spouse is counted as
the reason for his spiritual tranquility, as Sura Rum No. 30 verse 21 says: "And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in
tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts)...".
In
other words, the genders (masculine and feminine) are the complement of each
other then, they become complete and this makes them a whole.
Since
the term / azwaj / also means: 'kinds, species, and classes', some
commentators have rendered it to mean: 'the variations in Man from the point
of color, race, language, different spiritual levels and talents'; which
are signs of Allah's greatness and
the cause of perfection in societies.
Then,
it refers to 'sleep', a grand divine gift to Man, and says: "And We
made your sleep for repose,".
The
term /subat/ is derived from /sabt/ which originally means 'discontinue, rest' and then it was used for the 'suspension of work'
for the purpose of resting, and that the term 'Saturday' in the Arabic
vocabulary is called /yaum-us-sabt/, because it had been affected
by the custom of the Jews who stopped working on Saturday.
Thus,
the term /subat/ narrowly refers to the stopping of most of Man's physical and
mental activities when he sleeps. The very temporary stopping of activity
causes refreshment and improvement for the tired organs, strengthening the soul
and the body, renewing one's pleasure, removing any fatigue and uneasiness, and
consequently, making Man ready to start working again.
Though
one-third of the human beings' lifetime is occupied by sleep and they
have always been entangled with the question of 'dreams', still they wonder
about the mysteries of sleep. Even yet, it is not exactly known why that at a
special moment the mind fails to work well, the eyelids droop and all the limbs
come to a peaceful state.
But,
one thing is definitely known and that is: sleep is of great importance to
one's health, and that is why psychiatrists try to make their patients' sleep
normally and regularly, because it is impossible to cure them without it.
Those
who do not sleep enough are pale, withered, nervous, and dull. On the contrary,
those who sleep normally, when they rise they feel, in themselves, much
pleasure and vitality.
After
a tranquil sleep, study progresses very quickly and mental activity and
physical endeavors are often more successful. These facts show the important
functional role of sleep in Man's life.
There
are few tortures, for a person, that are as painful as compulsory
sleeplessness. Experiments have shown that Man's tolerance for lack of sleep is
very little and soon he loses his health and becomes sick.
The
aforementioned statements about the importance of sleep mean, of course, a
balanced sleep, because, over sleeping, like gluttony, is one of the graceless
behaviors which causes various sicknesses.
It
is interesting that there is not a certain time limit for the natural length of
sleep in all persons, but everyone should find the amount of sleep that one
needs regarding his physical and mental activities and according to one's own
experience.
And
stranger still is when human beings are placed in a difficult situation where
they must stay awake for a long time. Their perseverance for sleeplessness
increases, temporarily, so that sometimes they decrease their sleep to one or
two hours, but it has often happened that when the circumstances have changed,
Man, both spiritually and bodily, has demanded the recompense of that
sleeplessness and has taken it back.
There
are, of course, a few rare individuals who are able to go without continuous
sleep, for months at a time. In contrast, there are some people who fall asleep
even when they are walking on the street or when they are speaking with another
person. Surely, this state is very dangerous for them, especially if there
would be no one to look after them. Obviously, these kinds of people are sick
and sooner or later they will be faced with physical and spiritual
difficulties.
In
short, this wonderful characteristic, which appears in Man and is called 'sleep', contains many mysteries and is
perceived as a 'miracle'.
Although
the above mentioned verse is about 'sleep',
as a divine blessing, it seems that death,
and wakefulness could, also,
symbolize Resurrection, so the verse
could be a hint to both of them.
Then,
again, concerning sleep, it speaks about the blessing of 'night' and says: "And We
made the night as a covering".
Following
immediately after that, it says: "And We
made the day for(seeking) livelihood".
Contrary
to the duelists (because of being uninformed about the secrets of Creation,
where they thought that the light of day is good and the darkness of night is
evil and they believed in a separate god, for both of them, while thinking that
the former originated from 'God' and the latter from Satan) we should give a
bit more thought to it, then we will recognize that both of them are great
blessings and are the origin of other blessings, as well.
According
to the above verses, the gloom of night is a cloth and covering over the body
of the Earth and over all living creatures residing on it. Night, compulsorily,
stops the exhausting activities of the life and makes the gloom of darkness,
which is actually peace, calmness, and tranquility, dominate over everything in
order to give the tired limbs a chance to recover and the gloomy spirit a
chance to revive, since a good and quiet sleep is more likely to be obtained in
the dark.
Besides
this, when night comes, the sunshine disappears. If the sun were to shine
continuously, all plants and animals would die from its heat, and the Earth
could not be a dwelling place for them.
For
the same reason, the Holy Qur'an has frequently emphasized on this matter.
Once, it says: "Say, see you? If Allah
were to make the Day perpetual over you to the Day of Judgment, what god is
there other than Allah who can give you a Night in which you can rest?..." (Sura
Qasas No. 28, verse 72). And after that it adds: "It is out of His Mercy that He has made for
you Night and Day, that you may rest therein, and that you may seek of His
Grace..."(Sura Qasas, No. 28, verse 73).
It
is noteworthy that, in the Holy Qur'an, many great things have been made oath
to, once, but 'night' has been made
oath to seven times, which illustrates the importance of the darkness of night,
since we know that an oath is made for important affairs.
Those
who make the night bright with artificial light and sit up all night long and
sleep during the daytime, instead, become rather afflicted and sickly.
People,
in villages, who sleep soon, at night, and get up early in the morning, lead
healthier lives.
Night
has other useful advantages, too. For instance, the period after midnight and before
dawn is the best time to pray and supplicate to Allah and a very good occasion for self-perfection and
devotional acts as Sura Zariyat, No. 51, verse 18, about the qualities of the
Righteous, says: "And in the hours (wee
hours of the morning) of early dawn, they (were found) praying for
forgiveness".
The
light of the day, too, is a unique blessing. It produces movement, such as,
preparing Man for effort and endeavor, and causing the plants and animals to
grow under its rays. Then, the above sentence which says: "And We made the day for (seeking) livelihood", is truly so complete and meaningful
that it does not need any further explanation.
In
conclusion, the duration of the day and night and the precise regularity of
their gradual changes, is one of the Signs of Allah in Creation. Moreover,
it is counted as a natural calendar for the arrangement of Man's life
timetable.
Then,
from the Earth our attention is turned to the heavens and it says: "And We built above you seven firmaments".
The
number 'seven', here, may be a
multiplication figure which refers to the numerous celestial spheres, groups of
systems, galaxies and the different firmaments, in the existing universe, which
have a firm nature and are created massive and strong. Or, it may be a figure
of quantity in the sense that what we see from the galaxies belongs to the
first sky, as Sura Saffat, No. 37, verse 6 states: "We have indeed decked the lower heaven with beauty (in) the stars", and beyond that there are six more
skies that are far from Man's reach.
It
is also probable that the phrase /saban ڑidada/ 'seven firmaments' refers to the several layers of the atmosphere
surrounding the Earth which, in spite of being apparently transparent, is so
dense that it protects Earth from the continually falling meteorites. As soon
as one of them enters Earth's atmosphere it becomes hot enough to burn, because
of its violent contact with the protecting layers and then it turns to ash and
comes down slowly over the land. If this layer of atmosphere did not exist, our
cities and farms would be exposed to the invasion of these meteorites day and
night.
Some
scientists have calculated the tenseness of the atmosphere, surrounding the
Earth, as being more than one hundred kilometers thick, and equal to a steel
ceiling ten meters thick! And this is only one of the commentaries for the
phrase /saban ڑidada/ 'seven
firmaments'.
After
a short description about the creation of the heavens, attention is paid to the
Sun, the great world-illuminating gift, and says: "And We made (therein) a blazing lamp".
The
term /wahhaj/ is based on the term /wahaj/ which means 'light and heat' issuing from fire. Therefore, the
term with this sense 'brightly burning' used
for the Sun, points to a couple of great blessings that arc the origin of all
material gifts of this world, that is 'light' and 'heat'.
The
light of the Sun not only lights Man's surrounding environment and the whole
solar system, but also is very effective in the growth of living creatures.
Its
heat, in addition to the effect that it directly has on the lives of human
beings, animals and plants, is the main cause of the existence of clouds,
winds, and rainfall necessary for the irrigation of dry lands
Because
of its ultraviolet rays, the Sun is very useful in destroying microbes. If it
were not, generations of living creatures would perish in a short time.
The
Sun constantly illuminates the whole world, free of charge, with its warm,
bright light and from an appropriate distance. It is neither so hot and
burning, nor so cold and dim; and it offers itself to all of us.
If
we compare the value of energy produced by the Sun, with the price of other
sources of energy, it adds up to a very large sum. Let us assume that we grew
an apple tree with artificial light and energy. Each apple would cost an
extraordinary amount. But now, indeed, we receive this worldly productive
light, freely, from /siraj-an-wahhaj/ 'a blazing lamp'.
The
Sun is the star nearest the Earth, whose mean distance from it is nearly
93,000,000 miles (about 150,000,000 kilometers); its diameter is about 865,000
miles; its mass is about 322,000 times, and its volume more than 1,300,000
times, that of the Earth, and its density is about one-fourth that of the
Earth. Its outer heat is about 6,000؛ C (10,000 F). (The Kelvin temperature
scale uses a degree of which the unit of measurement equals the centigrade
degree, but it is numbered from absolute zero, which is -273.16؛ C.). All
of these are arranged, in such a way, so that if they were a little more or a
little less than what they are, it would be impossible for life to exist on the
Earth.
Following
the description of the gifts of 'light' and 'heat', it speaks of
another important matter, about life, which closely relates to the subject of
sunshine and says: "And We sent down from the clouds water in abundance".
The
term /musarat/ is the plural form of the word /musar/ which is based on the
term /asr/ in the sense of 'pressure' and
the term is used with the meaning of 'clouds
emitting or pressing out rain', as if to press itself to pour water.
Some
others have said that it means 'the
clouds that are ready to rain', because the form of the word used in Arabic
texts denotes to 'readiness for something'.
Some
commentators have said that /musarat/ is not an adjective for the word 'clouds', it is an adjective for the
word, 'winds' which press on the
clouds from every side in order for it to rain.
The
term /thajjaj/ is based on /thajj/ which means 'to pour abundant water,
continuously' and also it is used, here, in the Arabic intensive form. So,
on the whole, the meaning of the verse is that: 'We sent down, continuously,
abundant water from the clouds emitting rain'.
Rain,
by itself, has some benefits and merits when it falls: it makes the air fresh,
it washes the dirt away, it decreases the heat of the weather; it even
moderates the cold weather, it decreases the cause of diseases and it brings
Man spirit and joy. But the following verses point to three other great
benefits of rain; it says: "That we may
bring forth thereby grain ant plants".
"And gardens of luxurious
growth".
Raqib
cites in his book, Mufradat, that the term /alfaf/ denotes that the trees of
this garden are so thick and entangled that they are joined to each other.
In
fact, in those two previous verses, all of the foodstuff that grows on the land
and which men and animals use have been pointed out because a great part of it
is compiled of grains /habba/, the vegetables and roots /nabata/ and, thirdly, fruits
/jannat/.
It
is true that in these two verses only three outstanding benefits of rain are
mentioned, but its benefits, undoubtedly, are not limited only these. Seventy
percent of Man's body weight is made up of water; the main origin of all living
creatures, as the Qur'an says: "...We
made from water every living thing..." (Sura Anbiya, No. 21, verse 30).
Therefore, water acts as the essential property in the life of living
creatures, especially Man.
Not
only Man's body, but also many factories are paralyzed without water, and a lot
of manufactures would fold, too, without the availability of water.
The
beauty and the livelihood of nature is due to water, and the best commercial
and economical trade routes, of the world, are waterways.
Explanation:
The Relation Between These
Verses and the Resurrection:
Through
the above eleven verses, the greatest divine gifts and the most basic
necessities of Man's life are pointed out, i.e. light, darkness, heat, water,
land, and plants.
The
statement about this precise regularity, on the one hand, is a clear proof of Allah's power over everything.
Therefore, there would be no doubt for anyone as to how Allah can bring the dead to life again; as the Qur'an says, very
clearly, for an answer to the rejecters of the Hereafter: "Is not He Who created the heavens ant the earth able to create the
like thereof? Yes indeed! for He is the Creator Supreme, of skill and knowledge
(infinite)!" (Sura Yasin. No. 36 verse 81).
On
the other hand, this great and lofty establishment certainly has a definite
goal, which undoubtedly cannot be construed as the mere 'life of this world' or being satisfied by simply
eating, drinking, and sleeping, but Allah's
knowledge requires an aim higher than this goal and, in another sense, the
first life is an admonishment for the Next Life, an' a stopover on Man's long
journey, as Sura Mo'minun. No. 23, verse
115 verifies: "Did you then
think that We had created you
in jest that you would not be brought back to Us (for account)?".
And,
too, sleeping and wakefulness can be seen as a kind of death and rebirth, and
the dry and dead lands that are revived by falling rains again and again, every
year, are before our very eyes the incidents that refer to the Resurrection. They illustrate the Hereafter and the life after death. Sura
Fatir, No. 35 verse 9 attests to this
idea. It, after pointing to the revival of the dead lands by rain, says: "... even so (will be) the Resurrection!".
