The purpose of the Surah is now coming together, which is to make our dead hearts focus on the world beyond us, and to attach value to the time that we are bestowed.
At the beginning of the Surah was the direction point of Hidayah (‘guidance’). Allah gave us examples of the people who rejected it, as well as the mighty example of one who accepted it.
يَـٰحَسْرَةً عَلَى ٱلْعِبَادِ ۚ مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ٣٠
“Oh pity, such beings! No messenger ever came to them without being mocked.” (36:30)
Despite having rejected that guidance and even going so far as to killing the messengers, Allah still calls the people His servants. No matter how astray we may be, we are never without need for Allah.
Regardless if we are far from or near to Allah, we are still in need of Him. At the core of all people are servants of Allah. Here is the lament for those who were unable to benefit from guidance. As believers, we should not get angry with them, but rather, feel pity and sorrow.
Guidance from Allah is a blessing in our lives, as guidance is only determined by Allah.
وَإِن كُلٌّۭ لَّمَّا جَمِيعٌۭ لَّدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ ٣٢
“Yet they will all be brought before Us.” (36:32)
Now, Allah is telling us to look at the following verses and to not lose track.
There will come a time in which everyone will stand before Allah. This means that we must prepare adequately in our days for this moment.
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْأَزْوَٰجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنۢبِتُ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٣٦
“Glory be to the One Who created all things in pairs–be it what the earth produces, their genders, or what they do not know!” (36:36)
All our actions are for the time in which we will be present on the Day of Qiyamah. It is imperative that our presence and preparation has to be for that moment. The redirect for this is Surah Yaseen, of which we read everyday and easily do not realise the link.
In a world where everyone tries to make contact, Allah magnetises and pairs people of such different backgrounds and ethnicities. Puzzle pieces, in this case, do not have to and will not be the same. The wisdom of Allah is such that when He brings two people together, they consolidate one another’s strengths and weaknesses.
Through pairing, Allah takes out loneliness. However, when looking beyond human partners, there are plenty other examples to be found: fruits, animals, flowers, all of which Allah created that help and benefit each other. This is a system of every creation having interdependence on other creation.
Allah also created pairs in health and sickness. Sabr and Shukr. Land and water. Financial dips and rises. Languages, paired by region.
Here is the recognition of Allah having created the perfect ebb and flow. There are pairs we can see, and pairs we cannot see the Hand of Allah in. The unseen ones are in the tests that we face. This pairing system is a sign of Allah’s perfect knowledge.
Are we recognising that the pairing of Allah is not random?
وَءَايَةٌۭ لَّهُمُ ٱلَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ ٱلنَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ ٣٧
“There is also a sign for them in the night: We strip from it daylight, then–behold!–they are in darkness.” (36:37)
The night is certainly a sign of Allah’s power, but now we have to delve one level deeper.
The word “salakh” means “to skin”, as if skinning an animal. The reality is that the entirety of this world is in darkness. We tend to think the night steals the light, but in reality, we are in darkness always, but Allah brings us light.
The light we have is transitory. Similarly, the darkness is a spiritual darkness. This is a deeper metaphor that when Allah does not give us His Noor, we do not realise where we are. We think of darkness as something to get away from, but now, Allah is asking us if we realise how He protects us from it: by providing us a day. A light system that brings us closer to Him.
Like the apparent day and night, how is that we have moments of darkness, and then moments of clarity in our lives?
وَٱلشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّۢ لَّهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ ٣٨
“The sun travels for its fixed term. That is the design of the Almighty, All-Knowing.” (36:38)
Every element of this world is working in a perfect system created by Allah, Who created everything with precision. Allah’s design is not just to make something, but to make it in a perfect way. Similarly, Allah created the sun to be perfect in its timing.
The sun is on a perfect and precise orbit, and Allah has made it such that we plan our days according to it. The deeper reflection here is not to be in amazement of the sun, but in amazement of Allah Who created it; that one sun can have so many different effects all over the world, and is under the control of Allah.
Our lives are often run by and cling to tight schedules; we plan things down to hours and minutes. And yet Allah, just with the command of being, created perfect systems. Here is a dependence on Allah that our systems cannot provide for us. It is a deeper reflection on the impossibility of Allah keeping every single creation that was created functioning to perfection.
The day the sun will not be allowed to rise is the day our repentance will not be accepted. And so every time we see the sun, we must recognise Allah’s perfection, reflect, and make Tawbah.
وَٱلْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَـٰهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَٱلْعُرْجُونِ ٱلْقَدِيمِ ٣٩
“As for the moon, We have ordained precise phases for it, until it ends up looking like an old, curved palm stalk.” (36:39)
When we create anything, there is an end for it ordained. Here, Allah is showing us that unlike what we create, each and every one of His systems never ceases.
لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ ٤٠
“It is not for the sun to catch up with the moon, nor does the night outrun the day. Each is travelling in an orbit of their own.” (40)
Both the sun and the moon are under the command of Allah. When He creates massive systems that do not stray, we must reflect: are we like these systems? Constantly under Allah’s command? Living His command?
These signs have to make us understand how perfect Allah is, and must moisten the tongue with the words سبحانه و تعالى.
