“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the ships that sail the sea with that which benefits people; in the water that Allah sends down from the sky, thereby bringing the earth to life after its death and dispersing throughout it every kind of creature; and in the directing of the winds and the clouds subjected between heaven and earth—there are signs for a people who understand.” (2:164)

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth”: He mentions the heavens in the plural and the earth in the singular because each heaven is not of the same kind as another, but is of a different kind, whereas all the earths are of one kind: soil. Thus, the sign in the heavens lies in their thickness and elevation without pillars or supports, and in the sun, moon, and stars that you see therein. The sign in the earth lies in its extension, spread, and vastness, and in the trees, rivers, mountains, seas, jewels, and vegetation that you see within it.

His saying, exalted is He, “and the alternation of night and day,” means their succession in coming and going: each follows the other. Whenever one departs, the other comes after it. Similar is His saying, exalted is He: “He is the One who made night and day succeed one another” (25:62). ‘Ata’ said: This refers to their difference in light and darkness, and in increase and decrease. Layl, “night,” is the plural of laylah, “a night,” and layali, “nights,” is a plural of a plural. The plural of nahar, “day,” is nuhur. Night is mentioned before day because it preceded it. Allah, exalted is He, says: “A sign for them is the night: We strip away from it the day” (36:37).

“And the ships that sail the sea” means vessels. The word fulk is the same in both the singular and plural. When it is intended as a plural, it is treated as feminine, while in the singular it is treated as masculine. Allah, exalted is He, says, using the singular masculine: “When he fled to the laden ship” (37:140). Regarding the plural feminine, He says: “Until, when you are aboard the ships and they sail with them in a fair wind” (10:22).

“And the ships that sail the sea”: The sign in ships lies in their being made subservient and in their sailing upon the surface of the water while heavily laden, without sinking beneath it. “With that which benefits people” means travelling on them and carrying goods aboard them for trade, earnings, and various needs. “And the water that Allah sends down from the sky” means rain. It was said that “the sky” here means the clouds: Allah creates the water in the clouds, and then it descends from the clouds. It was also said that it means the known heaven: Allah, exalted is He, creates the water in heaven, then it descends from heaven to the clouds, and then from the clouds to the earth. “Thereby bringing to life,” that is, by means of the water, “the earth after its death,” that is,