Tafsir of Ya seen 36:38

Surah Ya-Sin (36): Verse 38

وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَهَا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ (And the sun runs its course to a fixed place. That is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.)

It is possible that the conjunction (و - wa, and) connects to the preceding statement about the night, implying: "And a sign for them is the night, We strip the daylight from it, and the sun runs its course..." All these elements are signs.

The phrase "And the sun runs its course" (wa-sh-shamsu tajrī) points to the cause of the daylight being stripped away (i.e., sunset). The sun runs its course to a fixed place (li-mustaqarrin lahā), which is the time of sunset, at which point the day departs.

The benefit of mentioning the cause is that when Allah said, "We strip the daylight from it," the ignorant might object, saying, "The departure of the day is not from Allah; rather, the day departs due to the setting of the sun." So, Allah Almighty responded: "And the sun runs its course to a fixed place" by Allah's command. Thus, the setting of the sun is what causes the day to depart. By mentioning the cause, the truth of the claim is established.

Alternatively, it can be argued that "And the sun runs its course to a fixed place" refers to the blessing of the day following the night. As if Allah, after mentioning, "And a sign for them is the night, We strip the daylight from it" (36:37), mentioned that the sun runs its course, so it rises upon the completion of the night, and the day returns with its benefits.

Regarding the word "li-mustaqarrin" (to a fixed place):

The preposition (ل - li, for/to) can imply time, similar to His saying: "Establish the prayer from the declining of the sun until the darkness of the night" (17:78), and "Divorce them [women] for their prescribed periods (li-ʿiddatihinna)" (65:1).

The reason for using the preposition li for time is that the li prefixed to nouns signifies the meaning of addition/attribution. However, attributing an action to its cause is a superior form of attribution. Attribution serves to define the attributed noun by the noun it is attributed to (like dāru Zayd - the house of Zayd). But an action is defined by its cause, so one says, "Trade for profit" (ittajir li-r-ribḥ) or "Buy for eating" (ishtarī li-l-akl).

Since we know that li is used for causation, we can say that the time of an event resembles its cause, because the time brings about the event that occurs within it, and events are connected to their times. Thus, one says, "He left at the tenth of such-and-such," or "Establish prayer at the declining of the sun" (17:78), because the time is defined, just like the cause. Based on this interpretation, the meaning is: The sun runs its course at the time of its settling/resting; meaning, whenever it rests for a period, it is commanded to run, and it runs.

Alternatively, (ل - li) can mean "to" (ilā), signifying direction toward a destination. This is supported by the reading of those who recite it as: "And the sun runs its course to a fixed place for it" (wa-sh-shamsu tajrī ilā mustaqarrin lahā).

If the meaning is "to," then there are several interpretations for that fixed place:

1. The Day of Resurrection: At that time, it will stop moving, and no motion will remain for it.
2. The Year: Meaning, it completes its annual cycle.
3. The Night: Meaning, it runs until it reaches the night.
4. A Fixed Location (not temporal): In this case, there are several views:
   • The extreme point of its ascent in summer and its extreme descent in winter. It runs until it reaches that position and then returns.
   • The extreme points of its rising places. For every day, it has a rising point for six months, after which it returns to those celestial coordinates. This aligns with the previous point about elevation.
   • Its arrival at its initial dwelling place at the beginning [of the cycle].
   • The circle upon which its motion occurs, where it does not deviate from the ecliptic throughout the sun's passage (which we will mention later).

Another possibility is that "li-mustaqarrin lahā" means: "It runs according to the path of its fixed place" (majra mustaqarrihā). The astronomers (Aṣḥāb al-Hay’a) say the sun is in a sphere, and the sphere revolves, causing the sun to move—so the sun runs the path determined by its fixed sphere. The philosophers say it runs to a fixed place, meaning to a state where, if it were to reach it, it would settle (i.e., the actualization of possible states), which is a very weak view.

Allah refutes this by saying: "That is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing." Meaning, this motion is not by its own will, but by the will, decree, management, and subjugation of Allah.

If one asks: You have listed many interpretations, but which one do you prefer? We say: The preferred interpretation is that "the fixed place" refers to a location, and it runs to reach its fixed place, which encompasses the extreme points of ascent and descent. This covers the rising points, setting points, the unchanging path, the time (the year and the night), thus yielding the most complete benefit.

Regarding "That is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing":

"That" (dhālika) could refer to the running of the sun (i.e., this running is Allah's decree), or it could refer to the fixed place (i.e., that fixed place is Allah's decree).

• The All-Mighty (al-ʿAzīz): The One who possesses complete power, who overcomes all things, and by His perfect might, He prevails.
• The All-Knowing (al-ʿAlīm): The One with perfect knowledge, who decreed the course that is most beneficial and knew what was most beneficial, so He set it upon that course.

The evidence for this comprehensive decree is threefold:

1. Varying Proximity: In six months, the sun passes over a meridian each day that it did not pass over the day before. If Allah had decreed that it pass over the same meridian repeatedly, the part of the Earth under that meridian would burn up, while the rest of the Earth would remain untouched. Therefore, Allah decreed a distance for it so that moisture could gather in the earth and trees during winter. Then, He decreed its gradual approach so that plants and fruits could emerge from the earth and trees, grow, and dry out. Then, He decreed its recession so that the face of the Earth and the branches of the trees would not burn.
2. Day and Night Cycle: Allah decreed a rising for it every day and a setting every night, so that people's strength and sight would not be exhausted by constant wakefulness, and the world would not be ruined by the cessation of cultivation due to perpetual darkness.
3. Speed Relative to Other Bodies: He made its speed slower than the Moon's speed but faster than Saturn's speed. This is because the sun possesses complete light. If it were too slow, it would remain over one spot for too long, burning it. If it were too fast, it would not linger long enough in one location for fruits to ripen.

وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ (And the Moon, We have ordained for it stations, until it returns like the old, dried-up date stalk.)