Exegesis of Ash-Shams (Q. 91)

In the Name of Allah the Most Merciful the Most Gracious...
He was asked about the exegesis of the statement: {By the sun and its brightness, as well as by the moon when it follows it...}
The {sun} refers to the actual sun itself as well as to its continuous station.
{...its brightness} refers to what one sees high in the sky and its manifestation.
The {moon when it follows it}: connected to it. It manifests its light by means
Of the other‟s light, and its glow is by means of the other‟s glow as it seems.
By that, it makes clear, known, and manifested. In the nights is deceptive cover;
Every night in every month. Therefore, its light is only by the light of another.
There is no difference between both their lights. It is the white nights.
Therein, it is made bright, and its hours are illuminated by its lights.
They are made great in blessings and power. As the Prophet, God bless him, stated:
((Fasting in it is like fasting continuously)). Allah makes their nights illuminated.
They are the 13th, 14th, and 15th nights. Allah connects its days with its nights
Because of the great blessings therein. Exalted be He who connects these great lights!
{By the day when it manifests...}
It is what the day shows and makes plain because nothing can ever be shown
Unless Allah manifests the day. Similarly, He manages it by means of measures known.
As the Glorified says: {It is not possible that the sun will reach the moon or the night to overtake the day. Each one is swimming in its own orbit} (Q. 36:40).
Both of them are in their orbits; they rise and they fall.
The night is the sun and moon together, according to all.
They change and occupy the other‟s space during the daytime.
But at night they come together. As Allah says, night can‟t override
Day. They are as ships, each one in its place, because if the night
Were to overtake the day, the darkness will surely overtake the light.
Time and the calculation of such would be rendered useless.
Humans, animals, trees, and fruits would be corrupted due to this.
This is because everything stands by means of day and night‟s alternation.
Glorified be the One who alternates affairs so that life can remain in gestation!
By such, the knowledgeable can determine the number of years and calculate,
And every matter occurs. Something lasts when it makes it to do so with lasting rate.
When something is annihilated, it is created by the Glorified to fulfil this claim.
As the Majestic and Glorified says, holy and blessed by all of His Perfect Names:
{We have made the night and the day as two signs. We have erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day manifestly clear so that thou may seek the bounty of thy Lord and know the number of years and calculations. We have detailed everything with great detail} (Q. 17:12).
{By the day when it manifests...}: the day when it shows its brightness.
It makes clear what it manifests and demonstrates by fire and lightness.
{...the night when it covers...}
It‟s when the night covers the sun and its darkness shades the light.
It covers by means of its covering and you are not able to see the sunlight.
No soul struggles. Humans, wild beasts, and birds rest during then.
Every thing is tranquil at that time, whether they be adults or children.
It is a mercy from Allah, as well as a grant from Him and a gift given.
As the Glorified says: {It is from His mercy that He makes for thee night and day so that thou may rest within
and seek His bounty—all of which so that thou may be grateful} (Q. 28:73).
{...the heavens and what constructed it...}
The {heavens} refer to the heavens that we are able to see.
{...what built it...}: what fixed it from Allah‟s rule and mercy.
{...the earth and what spread it...}
This means: the earth and what levelled it. Levelling refers to laying straight.
It also means making something spacious and causing there to be open space.
As the Glorified says: {And the earth, We have spread it} (Q. 15:19); which means laid flat. Also as Allah, the Glorified says: {Did We not make the earth a place of settling and the mountains as stakes?} (Q. 78:6-7).
Something is stretched when one desires for it to be spread.
One uses "stake" as a parable and analogy for something spread.
{...the soul and what arranges it...}
The {soul}, as we know, is that which every human and beast posses.
It is that which separates from the body and remains after a creature‟s death.
After that, the dead body returns to a state of annihilation and ruin.
Consequently, after the soul leaves, no one will see any moving.
{...what arranges it...}: what fixes it and makes it alive as it‟s made
And makes it balanced as it‟s balanced from Allah‟s Power displayed.
He made it as a bestowal and provision from His blessings portrayed.
{...then inspires it towards evil and good...}
Allah‟s arrangement of it and judgment caused it to know, choose, and decide.
The Blessed and Exalted caused it to know what endangers it or causes it fright.
Then the Glorified makes the soul of humans distinct from that of beasts.
Their souls can be pure, felicitous, immoral, scheming, or prone to peace.
If one purifies it by God-consciousness, one will attain felicity and purity.
If one imbues it with acts deplorable to Allah, one will attain ruin and depravity.
{The one who attains felicity is the one who purifies it. The one who fails is the one who imbues it}
The interpretation of {purifies it} is: makes it clean.
And "exceeds the bounds" is what {imbues it} means.
Then, the Glorified cites those "imbued it" in the past;
Sinners who exceeded the bounds in the days of time passed.
{Thamūd belied by their wickedness...}: by their stubbornness and deviance.
{...when the most wicked was sent}: the most despicable stood with sin egregious.
The people were pleased with what was done. {...most wicked...} can be one individual,
Or it could be the whole community. Both meanings could be true and are permissible.
One could say: "The most wicked of this tribe is so-n-so" or: "The most wicked
Of this tribe is the family of so-n-so." Either one is possible and not conflicted.
The proof that {the most wicked} was not one person is the statement of the Glorified:
{...he said to them...}. He would have said "he said to him" if one person was implied.
Also, He says: {...then their Lord destroyed them for their sin}. If one person was meant,
He would have said "his Lord destroyed him" and {their sin} would be rendered as "his sin."
Instead of saying {they hamstrung her}, He would have used the phrase: "he hamstrung her."
Others say that one person hamstrung her, based on their narrations, and his name was Qudār.
Sālih‟s threat of punishment against them was only for hamstringing the she-camel then.
They did not belie anything other than that prior. Sālih rebuked and reprimanded them
When they approached to hamstring the she-camel by their wickedness. He said to them:
{"[Refrain from] the she-camel of Allah and her drink." But they belied him and they hamstrung her; then their Lord destroyed them for their sin and made it equal. He does not fear its consequences}
The interpretation of what Allah mentions concerning {her drink}
Is what Allah grants from the milk of the she-camel that others drink.
As the Glorified says concerning the livestock, which includes camels: {Verily, for thee is a lesson in livestock. We give thee drink (nusqīkum) from what is in their bellies. For thee are numerous benefits in them. From them, thou eat} (Q. 23:21) and {...for them therein are benefits and drink (mashārib). Will they not be grateful?!} (Q. 36:73).
Both mashārib and saqiya refer to {drink}. Regarding {destroyed},
It is a levelling and it indicates a complete annihilation which leaves a void.
The meaning of {made it equal} is: the debased of Thamūd and lofty;
As well as the strong amongst Thamūd and the weak of them, the softy.
{He does not fear its consequences} possibly means: No one fears yet
Because they see it after Allah‟s destruction and punishment was met
From amongst children and offspring, so its consequence will not revisit.
Prayers be upon Muhammad and his progeny as well as peace exquisite.

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