Tafsir of Ad-Dhariyat 51:4

These are the angels who distribute affairs among the creation according to that which they are commanded. The interpretation of each [of these terms] in this way has been correctly narrated through various chains from Ali—may Allah, the Exalted, ennoble his countenance. In some narrations, it is stated that Ibn al-Kawwa' asked him about this while he was delivering a sermon from the pulpit, and he replied as mentioned. Some reports indicate that this is an interpretation transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah, the Exalted, be upon him).

Al-Bazzar, ad-Daraqutni in al-Afrad, Ibn Marduyah, and Ibn Asakir narrated from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib that Sabigh at-Tamimi came to Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Inform me about 'adh-dhariyati dharwa' (The scatterers scattering)." He replied: "They are the winds; were it not that I heard the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say it, I would not have said it." He said: "Inform me about 'al-hamilati wiqra' (The bearers of a load)." He replied: "They are the clouds; were it not that I heard the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say it, I would not have said it." He said: "Inform me about 'al-jariyati yusra' (The runners with ease)." He replied: "They are the ships; were it not that I heard the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say it, I would not have said it." He said: "Inform me about 'al-muqassimati amra' (The distributors of an affair)." He replied: "They are the angels; were it not that I heard the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say it, I would not have said it."

Then [Umar] ordered that he be lashed one hundred times, and he was placed in a house. When he recovered, he summoned him and lashed him another hundred times, loaded him onto a camel saddle, and wrote to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari: "Prevent the people from sitting with him." They continued thus until he came to Abu Musa and swore to him with heavy oaths that he no longer felt in himself what he used to feel. He wrote to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), "There is no harm in him, for he has spoken the truth," so he released him to sit with the people.

This indicates that the man was not sound of heart and that his questioning was not a seeking of knowledge; otherwise, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would not have done to him what he did.

In a narration from Ibn Abbas, al-hamilat (the bearers) are ships heavily laden with people and their goods. It has also been said: they are the pregnant ones among all animals. It has been said: al-jariyat (the runners) are clouds that run and move to wherever Allah, the Exalted, wills. It has been said: they are the planets that run in their orbits, all of which are in motion, though they differ in speed and slowness, as explained in its place. It has also been said: they are the seven famous planets known as the wanderers (planets). It has been said: adh-dhariyat (the scatterers) are women who bear children, for they scatter offspring, as if he likened the succession of offspring to that which is scattered by the winds. The remaining associated items follow the interpretation previously heard.

It is also said: adh-dhariyat are the causes that scatter creatures, likening the causes prepared for emergence from non-existence to winds that scatter grains and the like. It is said: al-hamilat are the winds that carry the clouds. It is said: they are the causes that carry their effects, metaphorically. It is said: al-jariyat are winds blowing in their paths. It is said: al-muqassimat are clouds by which Allah, the Exalted, distributes the provisions of His servants.

It is also said: they are the seven wandering planets; this is a false statement held only by those who claim they govern the realm of generation and corruption. In Sahih al-Bukhari, it is narrated from Qatada: "Allah, the Exalted, created these stars for three purposes: as an adornment for the heaven, as missiles against the devils, and as markers for navigation. Whoever interprets them otherwise has erred, lost his share, and burdened himself with what he does not know." Razin added: "And what he has no knowledge of, and what the prophets and angels were unable to know." From ar-Rabi' comes something similar, with the addition: "By Allah, Allah, the Exalted, did not place in a star the life, provision, or death of anyone; they only fabricate lies against Allah, the Exalted, and excuse themselves with the stars." The author of Jami' al-Usul mentioned this. The discussion regarding the refutation of what the astrologers say has been passed on in detail, so remember it; perhaps something of it will come later, if Allah, the Exalted, wills.

It is permissible that all of them refer to the winds, for they scatter what we scatter, stir the clouds and carry them, run in the atmosphere with ease, and distribute rains by directing the clouds to various regions. However, what is relied upon is that which was narrated from Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), having heard it from the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and what was said by the Gate of the City of Knowledge—may Allah, the Exalted, ennoble his countenance—from the pulpit. All reliable commentators hold this view, as reported from az-Zajjaj. The statement of the Imam [ar-Razi] after reporting it from the Prince [Ali]—"It is closer to assume that these four qualities refer to the winds"—is an act of great audacity for a position that has no valid foundation, and it ignores the report narrated by al-Musayyib, which indicates that this is the interpretation of the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Where is the Imam Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) in relation to him?

As for the statement of the author of al-Kashf—"It is highly congruent with the context, and therefore the Imam favored it"—I do not concede this to him either, once the tradition is proven authentic. Then, if these qualities are attributed to different, distinct matters—as is the case with the relied-upon view—then the fa (in f-al-muqassimati) signifies order in the oaths, both in terms of form and rank, considering the disparity of their levels in indicating the perfection of His power, the Exalted. This disparity is either ascending or descending, because our discussion involves qualities that make them higher in one aspect and lower in another, according to one who views them with a sound perspective. It is said: the order is with respect to proximity, the closest being mentioned first.

If they are all attributed to one thing, the wind, then it is for the ordering of actions and qualities: for the wind first scatters vapors into the atmosphere until they form clouds, then it carries them secondly, then it runs with them thirdly, spreading and driving them to where Allah commanded it, then it distributes their rain. It is also said: if adh-dhariyat and al-hamilat are attributed to women, it is apparent that it is for the disparity in indicating the perfection of power. So contemplate.

Dharwan (scattering) is in the accusative as an absolute object (maf'ul mutlaq), and wiqran (load) is in the accusative as a direct object (maf'ul bihi). The Imam permitted that it be like [the construction] "I struck him with a lash" (dharabtuhu sawtan). Yusran (ease) is in the accusative as an adjective for a deleted verbal noun, with the implication of a genitive construction, meaning: "a running characterized by ease," or as a state (hal), meaning: "made easy," as reported from Sibawayh. Amran (an affair) is in the accusative as a direct object; it is the singular of "affairs" (umur), and the plural was intended, but the singular was used because it is more appropriate for the endings of verses, despite the obviousness of the "affair." It is also said that it is a state (hal), meaning: "commanded," and the direct object is deleted, or the description is treated as an intransitive attribute, meaning: "it performs the distribution while being commanded." Abu 'Amr and Hamza read wa-adh-dhariyati dharwa with the assimilation of the ta into the dhal. It is also read wiqran with a fatha on the waw, as a verbal noun meaning "to carry/burden," as indicated by the speech of az-Zamakhshari—and he is a sufficient authority as an Imam in linguistics—and in this case, it is also accusative as a direct object, naming the carried object with the verbal noun, or as an absolute object for al-hamilat from its meaning, as if it were said: "The bearers, a bearing." And the saying of Allah, the Exalted in His majesty: << ... >>