⦗3 - 9⦘ “He created the heavens and the earth in truth. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him. He created man from a sperm-drop, and behold, he becomes an open disputant. And He created livestock for you: in them are warmth and other benefits, and from them you eat. You also find beauty in them when you bring them home in the evening and when you send them out to pasture.”
This surah is known as the Surah of Blessings, for at its beginning Allah mentions ⦗436⦘ the foundations and basic principles of His blessings, and at its end those that complete and perfect them. He states that He created the heavens and the earth in truth so that His servants might infer from them the greatness of their Creator and His perfect attributes, and know that He created them as a dwelling place for His servants, who worship Him as He commands them through the revealed laws conveyed by His messengers. He therefore declared Himself far above what the polytheists associate with Him, saying: “Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.” That is, He is far above and infinitely greater than what they associate with Him. He alone is truly God; worship, love, and humble submission are due to none but Him, Most High. Having mentioned the creation of the heavens [and the earth] (1), He then mentioned the creation of what they contain.
He began with the noblest of these, the human being, saying: “He created man from a sperm-drop.” He continued to direct its development, advancing and nurturing it until it became a fully formed human being, complete in both outward and inward faculties and immersed in His abundant blessings. Yet once he is fully formed, he takes pride in himself and becomes self-admiring: “And behold, he becomes an open disputant.” This may mean that he becomes an adversary to his Lord, denying Him, arguing against His messengers, and rejecting His signs. He forgets his original creation and the blessings Allah bestowed upon him, using those very blessings to disobey Him. It may also mean that Allah brings the human being into existence from a sperm-drop and continues to move him from one stage to another until he becomes rational and articulate, possessing intellect and judgment and able to dispute and debate. Let the servant therefore thank his Lord, who brought him to this state, although he could never have attained any part of it by his own power.
“And He created livestock for you”—that is, for your sake and for your benefit and welfare. Among their immense benefits is that “in them are warmth,” through the clothing, bedding, and tents you make from their wool, camel hair, goat hair, and hides.
“And” you have “other benefits” in them besides these, “and from them you eat. You also find beauty in them when you bring them home in the evening and when you send them out to pasture.” That is, when they return and stand at rest, and when they move about and graze. The beauty they possess does not benefit them in any way; rather, it is you who adorn yourselves with them, just as you adorn yourselves with your clothing, children, and wealth, and delight in all of this.