Tafsir of Az-Zumar 39:5

(He created the heavens and the earth with truth): This is a proof for what was mentioned first regarding Oneness and Dominance. Within it is also what you will utilize—if Allah, the Exalted, wills—meaning: He created this observable world, cloaked in truth and correctness, containing wisdom and benefits.

And His saying, the Exalted: (He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night): This is an explanation of the manner of His disposal of what was mentioned after explaining the creation, for the occurrence of night and day depends on the movement of celestial bodies. "At-Takwir" (wrapping) in origin is winding and folding, as in the winding of a turban around one’s head. Its meaning, as narrated from Qatadah, is that He causes one to cover the other. It is said to mean that He makes one go away and covers its place with the other, meaning He clothes its place with it, so it becomes dark and black after having been white and illuminated, and vice versa. Thus, the "covered" is, in reality, the "place." It is permissible that the "covered" refers to the night and day through metaphor, while the place is the container. The intent is that since one of them covers the other, it resembles a garment wrapped around the wearer in how it conceals it, encompasses it, and covers it.

Its verification is that since one of them encompasses all that the other encompasses, without there being anything additional other than appearance and concealment, the encompassing of one over the other is made a metaphor for it clothing it, expressed as "covering" (ghashiyan) and "wrapping" (takwir) due to the aforementioned resemblance. It is also permissible that the meaning is that one of the night or day causes the other to vanish when it overtakes it, so it likens its making it vanish to something apparent that it wrapped over what it caused to disappear from the reach of sight. The first view is preferred because it considers the meaning of "covering" along with the meaning of folding and the encompassing of the sides.

Furthermore, it is a common metaphor that this is due to its manifestation. It may also be that the meaning is that one follows the other in succession, likening this to the succession of the folds of a turban, one after the other. It is said that this is the most likely, because it considers in it what was considered in the first, while looking at the consistency of the word "kawar" (fold), for it is a fold after a fold. It is likewise, except that the folds of the turban are manifest, while in our case, they are alternating. There is no harm in this, for every fold is called a "kawar" in reality. Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ibn Abbas that the meaning is "He adds one to the other," and he interpreted this addition as increase; meaning, He increases the night over the day and adds to it, by causing some parts of the night to be day, so the day lengthens and the night shortens, and vice versa. Al-Raghib adopted this, and it is a clear meaning. According to this, the verse is like His saying, the Exalted: (He causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night), in one interpretation.

The scholars mentioned that the first meaning contains something of His saying: (He made the night and the day in succession for whoever desires to remember); the second meaning contains something of His saying: (And by the night when it covers, and the day when it manifests); and the third contains something of His saying: (He covers the night with the day, pursuing it swiftly). It is possible that the verse contains metaphorical, conceptual, imaginary, and representational elements, and representation is the most deserving of consideration. In any case, the imperfect verb form (mudari') is used to denote renewal.

(And He subjected the sun and the moon): He made them subservient to His command, the Almighty. (Each runs for a specified term): This is an explanation of the manner of their subjection; meaning, each of them runs until the end of its cycle or the termination of its movement. The full discussion of this has already passed. In it is evidence that the sun is moving. Some disbelievers claimed that it is stationary and that it is the center of the world. I heard in these days that in the West, for about two years, there appeared those who claim it moves on another center just as the earth moves upon itself, according to their claim. Some predecessors also claimed this, and they have speech in astronomy other than this, containing both the dross and the pure. However, their denial of the heavens that the revealed laws speak of entirely is a wonder of wonders. Their ridiculous perspectives lead them to what is even more wondrous to those of sound minds. We ask Allah, the Exalted, for safety and success. I have the intention to write a book in which I will clarify, if Allah wills, what is closer to the truth between the ancient and modern systems, moving on the axis of fairness and silent on the paths of injustice. And Allah, the Exalted, is the Giver of success.

(Is He not the All-Mighty): The One capable of punishing those who persist in sin, (the Forgiving): of the sins of the repentant. Or, the Overpowering One who is able to strike them with punishment, yet He, Glorified be He, shows forbearance toward them and delays them to a specified term. Thus, He has named the forbearance towards them, and He abandoned the hastening of punishment with forgiveness—which is the abandonment of punishment—by way of metaphor due to the similarity between them in the abandonment. It is permissible that this is from the category of majaz mursal (loose metaphor), but the first is more eloquent and better. These two views regarding (the All-Mighty, the Forgiving) were mentioned by al-Zamakhshari. Some thought the motive for the first was observing the doctrine of I'tizal (Mu'tazilism), where he restricted forgiveness to the sins of the repentant, so he abandoned it and said: "The All-Mighty is the One capable of every possibility, the Overpowering over all things; the Forgiving is He who does not hasten punishment." He stripped away what these constructions contain of mercy and general benefit. It is not upon us to interpret as he interpreted. We say that His forgiveness, the Exalted, is not limited to the repentant, but He may forgive others as well. However, the restriction is most fitting to harmonize with what preceded.

It is stated in al-Kashf that the first view of those two mentioned is consistent with His saying: (He created the heavens and the earth with truth) from two aspects. First, what it contains of evidence for the perfection of power and the perfection of mercy, which necessitates the punishment of the persistent and the forgiveness of the sins of the repentant. Second, that His saying: (He created the heavens...) etc., is driven for two matters: establishing the Oneness and the Dominance mentioned previously, to negate offspring, rather to cut off shirk (polytheism) from its roots, and to climb to what was established first regarding worship and sincerity so that it would not fade from the mind. Thus, it was said: (with truth), just as it was said there: (We have sent down to you the Book with the truth). It incorporates that just as the sending of the Book indicates His right to be worshipped, so too does the creation of the heavens and the earth with truth and wisdom, from which is retribution for what has passed. Thus, the conclusion with (Is He not the All-Mighty, the Forgiving) is for encouraging the seeking of forgiveness through worship and sincerity, and warning against the opposite—whether it contradicts the basis of religion, like disbelief, or contradicts sincerity within it, like other sins. It is in the utmost harmony. He only singled out the opponents of religion for explicit mention in His saying: (And those who took...) as a warning against their state because it destroys the safeguards of salvation, so it was more worthy of warning. The second [meaning] was symbolized by the aforementioned conclusion to complete the desired meaning. The axis of this noble surah is the command to worship and sincerity and the warning against disbelief and sins.

The second of those two views regarding the relationship is consistent with the discussion of shirk, and concluding with it is to emphasize the abomination of what they attributed to Him. When the revelation of the Book was mentioned, and followed by attributes necessitating worship and sincerity, He concluded it with His saying, Glorified be He: (Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion), as its aspect was verified—and we have reported it from him in what has passed. Then, when He mentioned thereafter the greatness of what they attributed to Him, Glorified be He—from shirk and offspring—and what indicates His transcendence, the Exalted, through Divinity, it was appropriate to conclude it with His saying: (Is He not the All-Mighty, the Forgiving) for the aforementioned emphasis. The scholar al-Tibi preferred this. From what we have mentioned, the reason for the preference of the first is known. The second of the two aspects of relationship is more correct than the first. The verse, according to what some mentioned, may be connected to what is adjacent to it of creation, wrapping, and subjection.