Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 37

(Ayah 37) ➊ {وَ مِنْ اٰيٰتِهِ الَّيْلُ وَ النَّهَارُ … :} In the previous verses, inviting towards Allah was declared the best of all words. Now, for the invitation towards Allah, a few more things are mentioned as evidence, some of which are related to the heavens and some to the earth, and it is clarified that all these are signs of Allah’s oneness and His power.

➋ Among the things visible to humans, the greatest and brightest are the sun and the moon, which is why many people considered them to be the Lord. Some considered them as manifestations of Allah, that Allah appeared in their form, and began to worship and prostrate to them, as the Sabeans and Zoroastrians do. The people of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) were involved in various forms of polytheism; along with other things, they also worshipped the sun, moon, and stars. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) very wisely clarified their lack of power and that they are not Lord. (See Surah Al-An’am: 76 to 82) The purpose of the verses under commentary is to refute these polytheists. Thus, it is stated that the night, day, sun, and moon are among the signs and evidences of Allah’s existence and His power. The mention of night and day before the sun and moon is because the setting of the sun and the appearance of the moon at night, and the setting of the moon and the appearance of the sun during the day, clearly indicate that neither of them is the Lord or a manifestation of the Lord in which He Himself appears, but both are helpless and powerless creations, subjugated under the command of the Lord, and bound by His order in their rotation and rising and setting. If they themselves were Lord, then the sun of the day would not allow the night and the moon to come, and similarly, the night would stand against the day and not let it take place. But their continuous rotation without any incident occurring is evidence of the existence of the One Lord, who is running everything under His wisdom.

➌ For the night and day being signs of Allah and for the reference to the verses in which this is detailed, see the commentary of Surah Bani Isra’il, verse (12).

➍ { لَا تَسْجُدُوْا لِلشَّمْسِ وَ لَا لِلْقَمَرِ … :} From this, it is understood that prostrating to creation is forbidden; prostration is only for Allah, who created all of this.

➎ { اِنْ كُنْتُمْ اِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُوْنَ:} Some people, fabricating intellectual excuses, say that we do not prostrate to these things, but through them, we prostrate to Allah, just as the polytheists used to say: « مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ اِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُوْنَاۤ اِلَى اللّٰهِ زُلْفٰى » [ الزمر : ۳ ] “We do not worship them except that they may bring us nearer to Allah.” In response, it is said: If you truly worship Allah alone, then what is the need for these intermediaries? Why do you not prostrate directly to Him?

➏ For the difference between the prostration of worship and the prostration of respect, and for the prohibition of the prostration of respect, see Surah Al-Baqarah (34) and Surah Yusuf (100).

37. 1. That is, making the night dark so that people can rest in it, making the day bright so that there is no difficulty in earning a livelihood, then the coming and going of one after the other, and sometimes the night being long and the day short, and sometimes the opposite, the day being long and the night short. Similarly, the sun and the moon rising and setting at their appointed times and traversing their orbits, completing their stages, and remaining safe from mutual collision— all these are proofs that they certainly have a Creator and Owner. Moreover, He is One and only One, and only His command and authority prevails in the universe. If there were more than one possessing the power of planning and command, then this system of the universe could never run in such a stable and orderly manner.

37. 2. Because they too, like you, are Allah’s creation; they do not possess divine powers nor are they partners in them.

37. 3. The use of the feminine plural pronoun in خلقھن is because it is either in the sense of خلق ھذہ الاربعۃ المذکورۃ, for the rule for the plural of non-rational beings is that it is treated as feminine plural, or its reference is only to the sun and the moon, and according to some grammarians, the dual is also considered plural, or the intended meaning is الآیات. (Fath al-Qadeer)

37. Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun [46] and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostrate to Allah who created them, if it is truly Him you worship.

[46]
The Tangible Forms and Worship of Others Besides Allah:

The polytheists and some followers of mysticism or those who believe in the concept of Wahdat al-Wujud, as well as monks and certain types of spiritual guides and ascetics, think that the sun, moon, etc., are manifestations of Allah. Therefore, when we worship the sun and the moon, in reality, we are worshipping Allah Himself, considering them as tangible forms of Allah. In response to such people, Allah has said that these are not manifestations or tangible forms of Allah, but rather, they are His signs and His servants. Their connection is with the day and the night. When the sun rises during the day, the moon becomes hidden, and at night, when the moon appears, the sun becomes hidden. From this, one result is that things which perform their tasks with such regularity cannot be deities. Secondly, things that are subject to rise and fall cannot be deities. Therefore, if you truly wish to worship Allah, then worship Allah directly, who is the Creator and Owner of these things, and remove these intermediaries from between. Nothing is a manifestation of Allah; rather, these are His signs so that you may attain knowledge of Him through them.