the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day—there are surely signs for people of understanding, those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides (Al ʿImran: 190–191).

This verse heads the last ten verses of Surah Al ʿImran, which the Prophet ﷺ would recite whenever he awoke for the night prayer. Accordingly, when a person rises for the night prayer, he should recite from this verse to the end of the surah—that is, the final ten verses of Al ʿImran.

His words, “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth” (Al Baqarah: from 164), mean: in their very formation—consider their sheer size, vastness, and majesty, and everything Allah has placed within them—there are signs. In the stars is a sign of Allah, in the sun is a sign of Allah, likewise in the moon; the trees, the seas, and the rivers are all signs of Allah. In everything that Allah has created in the heavens and the earth are magnificent signs pointing to the perfection of His oneness, the perfection of His power, the perfection of His mercy, and the perfection of His wisdom. He says, “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth” (Al Baqarah: from 164).

He mentions the heavens in the plural and the earth in the singular, because the heavens are seven, as Allah states in several verses: “Allah is the One who created seven heavens” (Al Talaq: 12); “Say: Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the mighty Throne?” (Al Muʾminun: 86).

As for the earth, Allah mentions it in the Qur’an only in the singular, because what is meant