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Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Mulk 67:19

Word by word

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ ۚ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍۭ بَصِيرٌ

Do they not see the birds above them with wings outspread and [sometimes] folded in? None holds them [aloft] except the Most Merciful. Indeed He is, of all things, Seeing.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

How can You feel Secure against the Punishment of Allah while He is Able to seize You however He wil

This is another indication of His gentleness and His mercy with His creatures. He is able to punish them because some of them disbelieve in Him and worship others besides Him, yet He is forbearing, He pardons, and He gives respite for an appointed time without hastening.

This is as He says,وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُواْ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَـكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ بَصِيراً (And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth; but He gives them respite to an appointed term: and when their term comes, then verily, Allah is Ever All-Seer of His servants.) 35:45 Here Allah says,أَءَمِنتُمْ مَّن فِى السَّمَآءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الاٌّرْضَ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَمُورُ (Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven, will not cause the earth to sink with you, and then it should quake) meaning, that it would move back and forth, and be disrupted.أَمْ أَمِنتُمْ مِّن فِى السَّمَآءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَـصِباً(Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven, will not send against you a Hasib) meaning, a wind containing gravel that will strike you, as Allah says in another Ayah,أَفَأَمِنتُمْ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمْ جَانِبَ الْبَرِّ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا ثُمَّ لاَ تَجِدُواْ لَكُمْ وَكِيلاً (Do you then feel secure that He will not cause a side of the land to swallow you up, or that He will not send against you a violent sandstorm Then, you shall find no trustee.) 17:68 And similarly, here Allah threatens them with His statement,فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ(Then you shall know how has been My warning.) meaning, `how is My admonition and what will happen to those who disregard and reject it.' Then Allah says,وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ(And indeed those before them rejected,) meaning, from the previous nations and the old generations that have passed.

Then Allah says,فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ(then how terrible was My reproach) meaning, `how was My rebuke of them and my punishment of them.' Meaning, it was great, severe and painful.

The flight of Birds is by the Power of Allah and it is a Proof that He sees everything small n large

Allah says,أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَــفَّـتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ(Do they not see the birds above them, spreading out their wings and folding them in) meaning, sometimes they spread their wings out in the wind (gliding) and other times they gather and spread (flapping) the wings in flightمَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ(None upholds them) meaning, in the air,إِلاَّ الرَّحْمَـنُ(except the Most Gracious.) meaning, Allah holds them up in the air by subjecting the air to them out of His mercy and His gentleness.إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ بَصِيرٌ(Verily, He is the All-Seer of everything.) means, with what is beneficial and suitable for all of His creatures. This is similar to His statement,أَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ إِلَى الطَّيْرِ مُسَخَّرَتٍ فِى جَوِّ السَّمَآءِ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (Do they not see the birds held in the midst of the sky None upholds them but Allah. Verily, in this are clear Ayat for people who believe.) 16:79

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ‌وْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ‌ فَوْقَهُمْ صَافَّاتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ ۚ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنُ ۚ إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ بَصِيرٌ‌ (Have they not looked to the birds above them spreading their wings, and (at times) they fold (them) in? No one holds them up except the Rahman (the All-Merciful). Surely He is watchful of every thing...67:19)This verse invites attention to the fact that the birds have weight, and in terms of the law of gravity, weighty bodies should fall down on the earth, if they are released from above. Normally, it is not possible for the air to hold them up. But Allah, through His consummate power, has created these birds in such a way that they can hold themselves up in the air. Apparently, they have no intellect, but Allah has taught them the art to make the air carry their burden and to fly in it by maneuvering their wings in such a way that at times they outspread them and at other times they fold them back. In this way they subjugate the air to their benefit.

It is obvious that enabling air to hold them up, designing the wings of the birds on this particular shape and teaching them the art of controlling the air, all these functions were possible only by Allah's Supreme Creative Power.

Thus far the conditions of various categories and species of existent beings were analysed and considered in order to provide evidence of Divine existence, His Oneness, His unique knowledge and power. If a fair-minded person were to consider them carefully, he will have no choice but to believe in Allah. From the next verse up to the end of the Surah, the non-believers and the unrighteous people of all categories are warned of the Divine scourge. First, they are admonished that if Allah decides to punish any nation, there is no power in the world that can stop Him. There is no fighting force or army of soldiers that can come to the support of the disbelievers and save them. Thus the next verse says:

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

أغَفَل هؤلاء الكافرون، ولم ينظروا إلى الطير فوقهم، باسطات أجنحتها عند طيرانها في الهواء، ويضممنها إلى جُنوبها أحيانًا؟ ما يحفظها من الوقوع عند ذلك إلا الرحمن. إنه بكل شيء بصير لا يُرى في خلقه نقص ولا تفاوت. بل مَن هذا الذي هو في زعمكم -أيها الكافرون- حزب لكم ينصركم من غير الرحمن، إن أراد بكم سوءًا؟ ما الكافرون في زعمهم هذا إلا في خداع وضلال من الشيطان. بل مَن هذا الرازق المزعوم الذي يرزقكم إن أمسك الله رزقه ومنعه عنكم؟ بل استمر الكافرون في طغيانهم وضلالهم في معاندة واستكبار ونفور عن الحق، لا يسمعون له، ولا يتبعونه.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

ثم قال تعالى : ( أولم يروا إلى الطير فوقهم صافات ويقبضن ) أي : تارة يصففن أجنحتهن في الهواء ، وتارة تجمع جناحا وتنشر جناحا ) ما يمسكهن ) أي : في الجو ) إلا الرحمن ) أي : بما سخر لهن من الهواء ، من رحمته ولطفه ، ( إنه بكل شيء بصير ) أي : بما يصلح كل شيء من مخلوقاته . وهذه كقوله : ( ألم يروا إلى الطير مسخرات في جو السماء ما يمسكهن إلا الله إن في ذلك لآيات لقوم يؤمنون ) [ النحل : 79 ] .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.