(19) “Have they not seen the birds above them, spreading and folding their wings? None holds them aloft except the Most Merciful. He truly sees all things.”

This is a rebuke and an exhortation to contemplate the condition of the birds that Allah has subjected, along with the sky and air He has subjected for them. They spread their wings to fly and fold them to descend, thus remaining afloat in the air and moving through it according to their will and need.

“None holds them aloft except the Most Merciful,” for it is He who subjected the sky for them and fashioned their bodies and constitution (1) so that they are capable of flight. Whoever contemplates the condition of birds and takes heed from it will find therein proof of the Creator’s power, His divine care, and the fact that He is the One and Only, to whom alone worship is due. “He truly sees all things.” He therefore directs the affairs of His servants in the manner best suited to them and required by His wisdom.