Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 12

(Ayah12) ➊ {وَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الَّيْلَ وَ النَّهَارَ … :} The meaning of "taskheer" is to take away the authority and will of something, making it subservient and running it according to one's own will. Due to the relationship of the sun and moon with the night and day, all four are mentioned together. {’’ لَكُمْ‘‘} (for you) does not mean that the night, day, sun, and moon have been made subservient to you, but rather that they are subject only to the mighty command of Allah, and they cannot deviate from His prescribed system even by a hair's breadth, nor even for the blink of an eye. (See Fatir: 41) The meaning of {’’ لَكُمْ‘‘} is that Allah has bound all of these for your survival, needs, and benefits. This is called "laam al-intifa‘," which is why it is translated as "for your sake." The meaning of {’’ سَخَّرَ ‘‘} is that they cannot use their own will or authority at all; only man has been given some authority for the purpose of trial, and that too only to choose the right or wrong path. Otherwise, even he is helpless before the mighty command of Allah regarding life and death, poverty and wealth, health and sickness—in short, there are countless things over which man has no control. As for all other creatures, which have been made completely subservient and their will entirely removed, this was done after asking them; if they too had wished to accept the trial and desired some authority, they would have been given it, but they did not dare and chose complete submission, as He said: «{ اِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْاَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ وَ الْجِبَالِ فَاَبَيْنَ اَنْ يَّحْمِلْنَهَا وَ اَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَ حَمَلَهَا الْاِنْسَانُ١ؕ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ ظَلُوْمًا جَهُوْلًا }» [ الأحزاب : ۷۲ ] "Indeed, We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and feared it; but man undertook it. Indeed, he is ever unjust and ignorant." And for examples of benefits for mankind, see the opening verses of Surah Naba and Surah Qasas (71, 72).

➋ { وَ النُّجُوْمُ مُسَخَّرٰتٌۢ بِاَمْرِهٖ …: ’’ وَ الشَّمْسَ وَ الْقَمَرَ ‘‘} These were in the accusative case because they are the objects of {’’ سَخَّرَ ‘‘}, while {’’ النُّجُوْمُ مُسَخَّرٰتٌۢ ‘‘} was mentioned in the nominative case and as a separate subject and predicate, because the matter of the celestial bodies is far more vast than that of the sun and moon. According to what man has discovered so far, each celestial body is so immense that the sun and moon are insignificant in comparison, and there are countless galaxies, each of whose celestial bodies is larger than our sun, and they are so far from us that the light of some has only now reached the earth after millions of light years, and some still have not, even though the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. The benefits we know of them are that they are lamps in the darkness of night, adornments for the sky, means of protecting the sky from devils, and guides in the darkness of land and sea, but when the moon has such an effect that its waxing and waning causes the mighty oceans to experience tides, then the effect of these stars on the universe is known only to their Creator. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: "The (first) four things are clearly seen to be connected to the needs of the servants, but the connection of human benefits to the stars was not so clear, so they were separated. ({فَتَدَبَّرْ})" However, the sun, moon, or stars have no connection with destiny or knowledge of the unseen, nor do they have any authority to bring rain or cause benefit or harm. Whoever holds such a belief, according to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), is a disbeliever in Allah and a believer in the stars. (See Bukhari: 1038) In the subjugation of the stars, there are not just one but many signs of the oneness of Allah, which is why the word "ayat" (signs) is mentioned in the plural, but only for those who use their intellect, not for those mentioned in Surah Anfal (22) or Surah Hajj (46), etc.

12. 1. How the night and day become shorter and longer, how the moon and the sun continue moving towards their respective destinations and there is never any change in them, how the stars are an adornment of the sky and a guide for lost travelers in the darkness of night. All these indicate the perfect power and great sovereignty of Allah Almighty.

12. He has subjected for you the night and the day, as well as the sun and the moon, and all the stars are subservient to His command. [12] Surely in this are signs for people who reflect.

[12]
The Benefits of the Movement of the Sun and Moon:

In this verse, another important human need is mentioned, that is, unless a person gets complete rest, he cannot work further nor can he remain alive. To fulfill this need, Allah Almighty has arranged for the coming and going of night and day according to a fixed calculation. The movement of the sun creates day and night. The sun also provides us with light, sunshine and heat, which are extremely necessary for our lives. Similarly, the moon and stars provide us with light at night. If they did not exist, the night would become so dark and dreadful that not only would it be impossible to see the path, but people would not even be able to see each other. Besides these, there are many other benefits for humans in the sun, moon, and stars, and these are only obtained because Allah Almighty has made these celestial bodies bound to fixed rules for the service of mankind.