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- “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation of night and day, the ships that sail upon the sea carrying what benefits people, the water Allah sends down from the sky by which He revives the earth after its death and scatters upon it every kind of creature, the directing of the winds, and the clouds held between the sky and the earth—there are surely signs for a people who use reason.” ⦗164⦘ (al-Baqarah: 164)
- The Exalted One declares that in these magnificent created things are signs—that is, proofs—of the oneness of the Originator (al-Bari), His exclusive right to worship, the greatness of His dominion and mercy, all His attributes, and evidence of resurrection and recompense.
- “For a people who reason” means: those possessed of minds that they put to work for the purpose for which they were created. In proportion to the intellect Allah grants a servant, and to the extent he employs it in reflecting on these signs, he will benefit from them, recognize them, and grasp them through thought and contemplation.
- Consider the creation of the heavens: their height, vastness, soundness, and precision; what Allah has placed in them of the sun, the moon, and the stars; and their astonishingly regular movement for the welfare of His servants. Consider also the creation of the earth and how He has spread it as a cradle for living beings so they can settle upon it, draw benefit from what it contains, and take heed. All of this demonstrates that Allah alone creates and manages, showcases His tremendous power by which He brought it into being, His wisdom by which He perfected and beautified it, and His knowledge and mercy by which He deposited within it everything that meets the creatures’ benefits, necessities, and needs. In that lies the most conclusive proof of His perfect attributes and that He alone deserves worship, for He alone creates, arranges, and oversees the affairs of His servants.
- Likewise, in the alternation of night and day—their constant succession when one departs and the other follows; their differences in heat, cold, and mildness; their varying lengths, whether long, short, or intermediate; and the seasons that arise from that, upon which depend the orderly interests of human beings, animals, trees, crops, and all vegetation—there is a management and subjugation whose beauty bewilders the intellect, and minds are incapable
٩ - ﴿إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ مَاءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ (١٦٤)﴾ [البقرة: ١٦٤].
* أخبرَ تعالى أنَّ في هذهِ المخلوقاتِ العظيمةِ آياتٍ -أي: أدلةً- على وحدانيةِ البارِي وإلهيتهِ، وعظيمِ سلطانهِ ورحمتهِ، وسائرِ صفاتهِ، وآيةً على البعثِ والجزاءِ.
* ﴿لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ﴾ أي: لهم عقولٌ يُعملونَها فيما خُلقَتْ لهُ، فعلى حسبِ ما مَنَّ اللهُ على عبدِهِ من العقلِ، وصرفَهُ في التفكرِ في الآياتِ؛ ينتفعُ بها ويعرفُها ويعقلُها بعقلهِ وفكرهِ وتدبرهِ.
* ففي خلقِ السمواتِ: في ارتفاعِها واتساعِها وإحكامِها وإتقانِها، وما جعلَ اللهُ فيها من الشمسِ والقمرِ والنجومِ، وجريانِها بانتظامٍ عجيبٍ لمصالحِ العبادِ؛ وفي خلقِ الأرضِ وجعلِها مهادًا للخلقِ يمكنُهم القرارُ عليها، والانتفاعُ بما عليها والاعتبارُ - ما يدلُّ ذلكَ على انفرادِ اللهِ بالخلقِ والتدبيرِ، وبيانِ قدرتهِ العظيمةِ التي بها خلَقَها، وحكمتهِ التي بها أتقنَها وأحسنَها ونظمَها، وعلمهِ ورحمتهِ التي بها أودَعَ ما أودعَ فيها من منافعِ الخلقِ ومصالحِهم وضروراتِهم وحاجاتِهم؛ وفي ذلكَ أبلغُ دليلٍ وبرهانٍ على كمالهِ من كلِّ وجهٍ، وأنْ يُفرَدَ بالعبادةِ؛ لانفرادهِ بالخلقِ والتدبيرِ والقيامِ بشؤونِ عبادهِ.
* وفي اختلافِ الليلِ والنهارِ: وهوَ: تعاقبُهما على الدوامِ، إذا ذهبَ أحدُهما خلفَهُ الآخرُ، وفي اختلافِهما في الحرِّ والبردِ والتوسطِ، وفي الطولِ والقصرِ والتوسطِ، وما ينشأُ عن ذلكَ من الفصولِ، التي بها انتظامُ مصالحِ الآدميينَ وحيواناتِهم وأشجارِهم وزروعِهم والنوابتِ كلِّها، كلُّ ذلكَ بتدبيرٍ وتسخيرٍ تَحيرُ في حسنهِ العقولُ، ويَعجزُ