Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (544)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(65–66) “Have you not seen that Allah has subjected to you all that is on the earth, and the ships that sail upon the sea by His command? He restrains the sky from falling upon the earth except by His permission. Indeed, Allah is Most Compassionate and Merciful to mankind. He is the One who gave you life, then causes you to die, and then will bring you back to life. Indeed, man is utterly ungrateful.”

That is: Have you not perceived, with your physical sight and inner perception, your Lord’s all-encompassing blessing and His abundant favors, and that “Allah has subjected to you all that is on the earth,” including animals, plants, and inanimate things? Everything on earth has been subjected to the children of Adam. Its animals serve them for riding, carrying loads, labor, food, and many other uses. Its trees and fruits provide them with sustenance, and they have been given the ability to plant and harvest them. They extract its minerals and benefit from them. As for “the ships,” He has likewise subjected ships to you; they are vessels ⦗545⦘ that “sail upon the sea by His command.” They carry you and your merchandise, transport you from place to place, and enable you to extract ornaments from the sea which you wear.

Another manifestation of His mercy toward you is that He “restrains the sky from falling upon the earth.” Were it not for His mercy and power, the sky would fall upon the earth, destroying all that is upon it and causing all who dwell there to perish: “Indeed, Allah holds the heavens and the earth lest they cease to exist. If they were to cease, no one could hold them in place after Him. Indeed, He is Most Forbearing, All-Forgiving.”

“Indeed, Allah is Most Compassionate and Merciful to mankind.” He is more merciful to them than their parents are, and even more merciful to them than they are to themselves. Thus, He wills good for them, whereas they will evil and harm for themselves. Among the manifestations of His mercy is that He has subjected all these things to them.

“He is the One who gave you life”—bringing you into existence from nothing—“then causes you to die” after having given you life, “and then will bring you back to life” after your death, so that He may recompense the doer of good for his goodness and the evildoer for his wrongdoing. “Indeed, man”—meaning humankind as a whole, except those whom Allah protects—“is utterly ungrateful” for Allah’s blessings and disbelieving in Allah. He does not acknowledge His beneficence and may even deny the resurrection and the power of his Lord.

﴿٦٥ - ٦٦﴾ ﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الأرْضِ وَالْفُلْكَ تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَيُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الأرْضِ إِلا بِإِذْنِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ * وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ إِنَّ الإنْسَانَ لَكَفُورٌ﴾ . أي: ألم تشاهد ببصرك وقلبك نعمة ربك السابغة، وأياديه الواسعة، و ﴿أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الأرْضِ﴾ من حيوانات، ونبات، وجمادات، فجميع ما في الأرض، مسخر لبني آدم، حيواناتها، لركوبه، وحمله، وأعماله، وأكله، وأنواع انتفاعه، وأشجارها، وثمارها، يقتاتها، وقد سلط على غرسها واستغلالها، ومعادنها، يستخرجها، وينتفع بها، ﴿وَالْفُلْكَ﴾ أي: وسخر لكم الفلك، وهي السفن ⦗٥٤٥⦘ ﴿تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ﴾ تحملكم، وتحمل تجاراتكم، وتوصلكم من محل إلى محل، وتستخرجون من البحر حلية تلبسونها، ومن رحمته بكم أنه ﴿يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الأرْضِ﴾ فلولا رحمته وقدرته، لسقطت السماء على الأرض، فتلف ما عليها، وهلك من فيها ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضَ أَنْ تَزُولا وَلَئِنْ زَالَتَا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا﴾ . ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ﴾ أرحم بهم من والديهم، ومن أنفسهم، ولهذا يريد لهم الخير، ويريدون لها الشر والضر، ومن رحمته، أن سخر لهم ما سخر من هذه الأشياء. ﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَحْيَاكُمْ﴾ أوجدكم من العدم ﴿ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ﴾ بعد أن أحياكم، ﴿ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ﴾ بعد موتكم، ليجازي المحسن بإحسانه، والمسيء بإساءته، ﴿إِنَّ الإنْسَانَ﴾ أي: جنسه، إلا من عصمه الله ﴿لَكَفُورٌ﴾ لنعم الله، كفور بالله، لا يعترف بإحسانه، بل ربما كفر بالبعث وقدرة ربه.