سُوْرَةُ الصَّافَّاتِ
Surah As-Saaffaat (37) — Ayah 5
رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَرَبُّ ٱلْمَشَـٰرِقِ ﴿5﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Lord of the heavens and of the earth, and all that is between them, and Lord of every point of the sun’s risings.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
رَّبُّ
rabbu
Lord
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ
l-samāwāti
(of) the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضِ
wal-arḍi
and the earth
وَمَا
wamā
and what
بَيْنَهُمَا
baynahumā
(is) between both of them
وَرَبُّ
warabbu
and Lord
ٱلْمَشَـٰرِقِ
l-mashāriqi
(of) each point of sunrise
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 5) ➊ { رَبُّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ وَ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا :} By this is meant the entire universe. Allah Almighty has repeatedly presented His being the sole Lord as proof of His being the only deity in the Noble Qur’an: when I am the Owner and Lord of everything, and you also admit that I created everything and I alone nurture it, then why should worship be for anyone else? How did anyone else become the giver and helper? Why should anyone else be called upon in times of distress?
➋ {وَ رَبُّ الْمَشَارِقِ : ’’ الْمَشَارِقِ ‘‘ ’’مَشْرِقٌ‘‘} is the plural of 'Mashriq', meaning places of rising. The sun does not always rise from the exact middle of the eastern direction; rather, in summer its rising point shifts towards the north, and in winter towards the south, and every day the sun rises from a different place. In this way, throughout the year, the sun has 365 points of rising. Then, in this universe, not only does the sun move, but the moon and countless planets also rise and set. Each has its own places of rising, which, like the sun’s, keep changing. In this sense, the number of places of rising is beyond our calculation. Here, only the mention of “places of rising” is deemed sufficient, because it is obvious that the One who is Lord of the places of rising is also the Lord of the places of setting. In Surah Al-Ma’arij (70), an oath is taken by the Lord of both the places of rising and setting. Allah Almighty being the Lord of the places of rising means that He alone is the Owner of the movement of the sun and all these planets; no one else has any share in this. In {’’ رَبُّ الْمَشَارِقِ ‘‘} there is another point: in its daily movement, the sun rises successively over different parts of this earth. Wherever a part of the earth comes before the sun, that is its place of rising. In this sense too, neither the places of rising nor the places of setting can be counted. (Al-Wasit)
➋ {وَ رَبُّ الْمَشَارِقِ : ’’ الْمَشَارِقِ ‘‘ ’’مَشْرِقٌ‘‘} is the plural of 'Mashriq', meaning places of rising. The sun does not always rise from the exact middle of the eastern direction; rather, in summer its rising point shifts towards the north, and in winter towards the south, and every day the sun rises from a different place. In this way, throughout the year, the sun has 365 points of rising. Then, in this universe, not only does the sun move, but the moon and countless planets also rise and set. Each has its own places of rising, which, like the sun’s, keep changing. In this sense, the number of places of rising is beyond our calculation. Here, only the mention of “places of rising” is deemed sufficient, because it is obvious that the One who is Lord of the places of rising is also the Lord of the places of setting. In Surah Al-Ma’arij (70), an oath is taken by the Lord of both the places of rising and setting. Allah Almighty being the Lord of the places of rising means that He alone is the Owner of the movement of the sun and all these planets; no one else has any share in this. In {’’ رَبُّ الْمَشَارِقِ ‘‘} there is another point: in its daily movement, the sun rises successively over different parts of this earth. Wherever a part of the earth comes before the sun, that is its place of rising. In this sense too, neither the places of rising nor the places of setting can be counted. (Al-Wasit)
