meaning the One who brings forth the dawn and makes it manifest. (1)

Al-Dahhak said: He is the Creator of the day. The word for daybreak is a verbal noun, like coming forward and turning away; it means illumination, though what is intended by it here is dawn. “And He made the night a repose,” in which His creatures rest. The scholars of Kufah recited “and He made” in the past tense; “the night” is in the accusative in conformity with the written text of the Quran. Ibrahim al-Nakha'i recited: “Cleaver of daybreak, and He made the night a repose, and the sun and the moon for calculation”—that is, He made the sun and the moon follow a known reckoning which they do not exceed, until they reach the furthest limits of their courses. The term for calculation is a verbal noun, like reckoning. “That is the determination of the Mighty, the All-Knowing.”

His words, exalted is He: “And He is the One who made the stars for you,” that is, He created them for you, “so that you may be guided by them through the darknesses of land and sea.”

Allah, exalted is He, created the stars for several purposes. The first of these is this: the seafarer (2) and the traveller through desolate lands use them to find their way to their destinations at night.

The second is that they are an adornment for the heaven, as He said: “And We have certainly adorned the nearest heaven with lamps” (al-Mulk, 5).

Another purpose is the pelting of devils, as He said: “And We made them missiles for the devils” (al-Mulk, 5).

“We have made the signs clear for a people who know.”

“And He is the One who brought you forth”: He created you and originated you, “from a single soul,” meaning Adam, peace be upon him. “Then there is a place of settlement and a place of storage.” Ibn Kathir and the people of Basra recited it with a kasrah on the qaf, meaning: among you are those who settle, and among you are those who are kept in storage. The others recited it with a fathah on the qaf, meaning: you have a place of settlement and a place of storage.

They differed concerning the place of settlement and the place of storage. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said: The place of settlement is in the womb until one is born, and the place of storage is in the grave until one is resurrected.

Sa'id ibn Jubayr and Ata' said: The place of settlement is in the wombs of mothers, and the place of storage is in the loins of fathers. This is also the narration of Ikrimah from Ibn Abbas. Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: Ibn Abbas asked me, “Have you married?” I replied, “No.” He said, “There is no being kept in storage in your loins but Allah, exalted is He, will bring it forth.”

It was narrated from Ubayy that he said: The place of settlement is in the loins of fathers, and the place of storage is in the wombs of mothers.

It was also said: The place of settlement is in the womb, and the place of storage is above the earth. Allah, exalted is He, said: “And We cause to remain in the wombs whatever We will” (al-Hajj, 5).