Tafsir

Everything prostrates unto Allah

Allah affirms His might and power, for He has full control over everything, and everything is subservient to Him. Therefore, everything, including the believers, prostrate to Allah willingly, while the disbelievers do so unwillingly,وَظِلَـلُهُم بِالْغُدُوِّ(and so do their shadows in the mornings), in the beginning of the days,وَالاٌّصَالِ(and in the afternoons.) towards the end of the days. Allah said in another Ayah,أَوَ لَمْيَرَوْاْ إِلَىخَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ(Have they not observed things that Allah has created: (how) their shadows incline.) 16:48قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ قُلِ اللَّهُ قُلْ أَفَاتَّخَذْتُمْ مِّن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ لاَ يَمْلِكُونَ لأَنْفُسِهِمْ نَفْعًا وَلاَ ضَرًّا قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى الاٌّعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِى الظُّلُمَـتُ وَالنُّورُ أَمْ جَعَلُواْ للَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُواْ كَخَلْقِهِ فَتَشَابَهَ الْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ قُلِ اللَّهُ خَـلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُوَ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّـرُ

In the next verse (13), it was said: وَيُسَبِّحُ الرَّ‌عْدُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ خِيفَتِهِ (And the thunder proclaims His purity with His praise, and [ so do ] the angels, out of His awe). In Arabic usage, the word: الرَّ‌عْدُ (Ar-Ra` d)refers to the sound of the clouds generated by their collision. The sense of (Tasbih: the glorification of Allah) mentioned here is that of the same Tasbih about which it has been said in another verse of the Qur’ an: وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ 'And there is nothing in the heavens and the earth which does not glorify Allah, but they do not understand their glorification' - (17:44).

And it appears in some narrations of Hadith that Ar-Ra'd is the name of the angel appointed to bring rains. In terms of this sense, the reciting of Tasbih is obvious.

Said in the next sentence 12 is: وَيُرْ‌سِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ فَيُصِيبُ بِهَا مَن يَشَاءُ (And He sends the thunderbolts and strikes with it whom He wills). The word: الصَّوَاعِقَ (as-sawa` iq) is the plural form of a-sa` iqah which is the name of the thunderbolt that strikes the earth. The sense of the verse is that it is Allah who sends these thunderbolts down upon the earth and, with these, He strikes whom He wills.

The last sentence of this verse is: وَهُمْ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي اللَّـهِ وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ الْمِحَالِ they are quarrelling about Allah, and He is stern in His plan). The word: الْمِحَالِ (al-mihal: with Kasrah on the initial letter Mim) has been used here in the triple sense of stratagem and plan, and retribution and punishment, and in the sense of power as well. The verse means that (it is in the background of what has been stated above) that these people are busy with debates and altercations about the truth of Allah's Oneness - despite the fact that Allah Ta` ala has the ultimate power whose plan overtakes all and nothing works against it.

ولله وحده يسجد خاضعًا منقادًا كُلُّ مَن في السموات والأرض، فيسجد ويخضع له المؤمنون طوعًا واختيارًا، ويخضع له الكافرون رغمًا عنهم; لأنهم يستكبرون عن عبادته، وحالهم وفطرتهم تكذِّبهم في ذلك، وتنقاد لعظته الله ظلال المخلوقات، فتتحرك بإرادته أول النهار وآخره.

يخبر تعالى عن عظمته وسلطانه الذي قهر كل شيء ، ودان له كل شيء . ولهذا يسجد له كل شيء طوعا من المؤمنين ، وكرها من المشركين ، ( وظلالهم بالغدو ) أي : البكر والآصال ، وهو جمع أصيل وهو آخر النهار ، كما قال تعالى : ( أولم يروا إلى ما خلق الله من شيء يتفيأ ظلاله عن اليمين والشمائل سجدا لله وهم داخرون ) [ النحل : 48 ] .