Tafsir of Saba' 34:2

This is an initiation to detail some of the matters that His knowledge encompasses, which are matters upon which their religious and worldly interests depend. It is permissible for it to be an interpretation of "the All-Aware" (al-Khabir), or a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for the pronoun referring to the Exalted in ("To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens"). In this case, ("To Him is the praise in the Hereafter") would be a parenthetical clause between the qualifier and the qualified. That is: He, glorified be He, knows what enters the earth of rain, "and what emerges from it" of vegetation—this was stated by al-Suddi.

Al-Kalbi said: [It means] what enters it of the dead, and what emerges from it of mineral substances. It is better to generalize the relative pronouns [what/that which] so that they include everything that penetrates the earth, even if placed therein, and everything that emerges from it, even animals, for they are all created from the dust.

"(And what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein)"—meaning the angels; this was stated by al-Suddi and al-Kalbi. It is better to generalize, so that "what descends" includes rain, snow, hail, lightning bolts, divine decrees, and the like; and "what ascends" includes vapors, smoke, the deeds of servants, their supplications, and the like. "The heaven" is intended to mean the direction of height absolutely. Perhaps the arrangement of these coordinated clauses, as you have heard, is intended to ascend in praise. The meaning of "traveling" or "settling" was implied in the word "ascends" (ya'ruju), as some have said; hence it is governed by the preposition "in" (fi) rather than "to" (ila). It has also been said: There is no need to consider an implied meaning; rather, what is meant by what ascends in it is that which ascends within the thickness of the heaven. Knowledge of that implies knowledge of what ascends to it a fortiori (as a priority). So, contemplate this. Ali—may God ennoble his countenance—and al-Sulami recited "yunzilu" (He causes to descend) with the ya [carrying] a damma, the nun a fatha, and the zay doubled. This is as stated in al-Bahr.

In al-Kashshaf, it is reported from Ali—may God ennoble his countenance—that he recited "nunazzilu" with the doubling and the nun of majesty. "And He is," despite the abundance of His blessings and the completeness of His bounty, "the Merciful, the Forgiving" to those who are negligent in performing the obligations of gratitude for them. This concluding remark, while affirming [His] omniscience, details what was summarized in His saying, glorified be He: ("To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth"). From it, one learns how all of it is a blessing, and it acts as an insight into the types of universal bounties. Each of them—and the previous concluding remark—is in its proper place; do not imagine that the reverse would be more appropriate.