Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:61

Surah Al-'Ankabut (The Spider): Verse 61

Original Text Context: The passage discusses the state of the polytheists (Mushrikun) who, despite acknowledging God as the sole Creator, still refuse to believe or worship Him.

Translation and Exegesis (Based on Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's approach):

We say that when God addressed the polytheist, He spoke to him directly, yet he did not benefit or heed the address. Then, He turned to the believer, saying: {And those who believe...} (Al-'Ankabut: 56), completing the discourse with him.

However, God included in this discourse what serves as guidance for the polytheist, so that he might overhear it. This is an excellent rhetorical method. If a master has two servants, or a father has two sons—one righteous and the other corrupt—he first advises the corrupt one. If the corrupt one does not listen, the master turns away from him and addresses the righteous one, saying: "This one does not deserve to be addressed; listen to you instead, and do not be like this corrupt one."

This statement simultaneously serves as advice for the righteous one and a reprimand for the corrupt one. The statement, "This one does not deserve to be addressed," strikes a blow to the heart of the corrupt individual. Furthermore, when the righteous person is addressed in the presence of the corrupt one, and the latter overhears, [the message is reinforced]: "This brother of yours—it is astonishing that he knows the ugliness of his actions, distinguishes between corruption and righteousness, between the path of guidance and success, yet he pursues the opposite!" This serves as a call for him to return to the path of righteousness and a deterrent from that corruption.

Similarly, God Almighty mentioned the believer, and among the astonishing things about the polytheists is that "And if you ask them, 'Who created the heavens and the earth?' they will surely say, 'Allah.'" (61a) Yet, they do not believe.

In this verse, there are several subtle points (Lata'if):

1. Creation vs. Subjugation: Regarding the heavens and the earth, creation is mentioned. Regarding the sun and the moon, subjugation (taskhir) is mentioned. This is because merely creating the sun and the moon is not the ultimate wisdom. If the sun were created to remain stationary in one place, there would be no day and night, nor summer and winter. Therefore, the wisdom lies in their movement and subjugation.

2. The Meaning of Taskhir (Subjugation): The term taskhir is used because mere movement (haraka) does not suffice. If they moved only with simple motion, like our movement, they would take thousands of years to traverse the celestial sphere. The wisdom in their subjugation is that they move precisely the distance a human breathes over thousands of farāsikh (leagues). Furthermore, they were not given just one movement, but several:
   • One movement is from East to West daily.
   • Another movement is from West to East. The evidence for this is that the crescent moon is seen near the sun in the West, then it moves away toward the East until, by the middle of the month, the moon is opposite the sun—the sun on the western horizon, and the moon on the eastern horizon.
   • A third movement is the movement of the apogee (the farthest point) and the movement of inclination (obliquity), as well as the revolution of the moon. Without the movement from West to East, the seasons would not occur.

Note: The astronomers (Ahl al-Hay'a) claim the sun is fixed in its sphere, and the sphere moves it by its rotation. The literalist commentators reject this. We say there is no impossibility in this unless they attribute it to inherent nature (tabi'a). Since God is an active chooser (Fa'il Mukhtar), if He wills to move them within a stationary sphere, it is permissible. If He wills to move them by the sphere's motion while they remain fixed, it is also permissible. There is no decisive or explicit text regarding the exact mechanism. We will elaborate on this in the discussion of {And each [celestial body] swims in an orbit} (21:33).

3. Two Categories of Divine Action: Two matters are mentioned: the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the subjugation of the sun and the moon. This is because creation (bringing into existence) can pertain to substances/entities (dhawat) or to attributes/qualities (sifat).
   • The creation of the heavens and the earth points to the origination of entities.
   • The subjugation of the sun and the moon points to the origination of attributes, such as motion and others. Thus, two examples are given, one from each category.

Then God Almighty says: "Then how are they deluded?" (61b). Meaning, since they acknowledge this reality, how are they turned away from worshipping God? When one knows the greatness of the Creator of the heavens and the earth, service (worship) becomes obligatory. There is no greatness greater than the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and no baseness greater than inanimate objects (jamad). For the inanimate object is beneath the animal, the animal beneath the human, and the human beneath the inhabitants of the heavens. So how can they abandon the worship of the greatest existing things and occupy themselves with the worship of the basest existing things?

{Allah expands the provision for whomever He wills of His servants and restricts it for him. Indeed, Allah is, of all things, Knowing.} (62)