Surah At-Tur (52): Verse 44

{وَإِن يَرَوْا كِسْفًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ سَاقِطًا يَقُولُوا سَحَابٌ مَّرْكُومٌ} (And if they see a fragment of the sky falling, they will say, "It is but piled-up clouds.")

After Allah (Exalted is He) demonstrated the falsehood and invalidity of their statements, He indicated that they have no remaining ground for excuse. The signs (Ayat) have appeared, and the proofs have been distinguished, yet they do not believe.

Following this, {If they see a fragment of the sky falling, they will say, "It is a cloud"}—meaning they deny the sign. However, when a sign appears in the most manifest of things, it becomes even more manifest.

The explanation is this: If someone brings an object from his house and claims to have done something to it, the listener might suspect that he created it within his house. But if he says to the people, "Bring any object you wish, and I will make such-and-such happen to it," that suspicion is removed. The most manifest things to a human are the Earth, which is his cradle and bedding, and the Heaven (Sky), which is his ceiling and canopy.

The Arabs, in their fundamental doctrine, followed the philosophy of the philosophers. They did not heed the philosopher's claim: "We purify [God] to the utmost extent, such that we do not permit His vision or attribution of any quality beyond His essence, so that He remains one in reality. How then could our doctrine resemble that of one who associates an idol carved [with God]?"

We say: When you attributed events to the stars and began invoking the stars, the ignorant took that from you and adopted it as their doctrine. If it is established that the Arabs in the pre-Islamic era were fundamentally following the philosophers' doctrine—who believed in inherent natures (Ṭabā’i‘)—they would say that the nature of the Earth is to generate, and the nature of the Sky is to prevent separation and detachment.

Therefore, Allah responded to them in several places, saying: {If We willed, We could cause the earth to swallow them up or let fall upon them fragments from the sky} (Saba: 9), thereby invalidating the doctrine of inherent natures and affirming Divine Choice (Ikhtiyār) in occurrences.

Here, Allah states that if He brought something strange, extremely rare, from the most manifest of things—the Sky, which they constantly see and know that no one can reach it to bring down things through remedies or other means—they would still deny it. How much more so for matters less significant than that?

What supports our assertion that they followed the philosophers regarding the Sky is their statement in Surah Al-Isra: {Or cause the heaven to fall upon us in pieces, as you claim} (17:92). This means: "That is possible in your claim, but not for us."

Al-Kisaf (كسف) means a piece. It is said kisfa min thawb (a piece of cloth).

The First Point:

The word Kisaf (fragment/piece) was used for the Sky, while linguists mentioned its use for cloth because Allah likened the Sky to a spread-out garment. This is why He mentioned it previously, saying: {And the heavens will be rolled up} (Az-Zumar: 67), and {On the Day the heaven is rolled up} (Al-Anbiyā’: 104).

The Second Point:

Kisaf (كسف) was used for the Sky, and Khasf (خسف - sinking/collapse) was used for the Earth, as in {We could cause the earth to swallow them up} (Saba: 9). This supports the view of those who say that Khusūf (خسوف) is used for the Moon, and Kusūf (كسوف) is used for the Sun.

The reason is that the articulation point of the letter Khā’ (خ) is lower than the articulation point of the letter Kāf (ك), and the articulation point of Kāf is above it and connected to it. Thus, the description associated with the lower [celestial body] was used for the lower, and the description associated with the higher was used for the higher. They said Kusūf and Kisaf for the Sun and the Sky, and Khusūf and Khasf for the Moon and the Earth. This is analogous to the difference between Mātiḥ (ماتح) and Māyiḥ (مايح) [related to drawing water from a well]: the one with the Tā’ (ت) above is for the one drawing from above the well, and the one with the Yā’ (ي) below is for the one drawing from below, for those who permit drawing from the bottom of the well.

The Third Point:

He mentioned Kisaf for the Sky, yet He said regarding clouds: {And We make them fragments} (referring to clouds, though they are below the Moon), while He said regarding the Moon: {And the moon is split} (Al-Qiyāmah: 8). This is because the Moon during Khusūf (lunar eclipse) has a counterpart above it: the Sun during Kusūf (solar eclipse). Clouds, however, are considered relative to the Earth-dwellers who look at them. Therefore, Khasf (sinking) was not attributed to the Moon relative to the clouds, but relative to the Sun. For the clouds, it was attributed relative to the Earth.

The word {sāqiṭan} (falling) admits two interpretations:

1. It is a second object complement (Maf‘ūl bihi thānī), as in Ra’aytu Zaydan ‘āliman (I saw Zayd as knowledgeable).
2. It is a circumstantial adverb (Ḥāl), as in Ḍarabtuhu qā’iman (I struck him while he was standing).

The second interpretation (Ḥāl) is preferred because when the verb Ra’ā (to see) takes two objects, it often means knowledge (‘Ilm), such as Arā hādhā al-madhhab ṣaḥīḥan (I deem this doctrine correct). When it takes one object, it usually means sight (Ra’y al-‘Ayn), such as Ra’aytu Zaydan (I saw Zayd). This is supported by verses like {When they saw Our punishment} (Ghāfir: 84) and {If you see anyone from humankind} (Maryam: 26). In our verse, the meaning is visual sight.

In the phrase {sāqiṭan}, there is a benefit not achieved by other words. This is because, according to their belief, separation (infiṣāl) or descent (nuzūl) from the heavens is impossible. By saying sāqiṭan (falling), He contradicts their belief in two ways: separation and falling. If He had said, "If they see a fragment separating or hanging," this specific benefit would not have been achieved.

In the phrase {yaqūlū} (they will say), there is another benefit: it clarifies the obstinacy (‘inād) which is the purpose of narrating the verse. At that moment, they will seek justifications so that they are not compelled to submit, saying "It is a cloud" merely as a verbal utterance, without true conviction.

Based on this, it is possible that {wa in yaraw} (if they see) implies knowledge (‘Ilm), making the obstinacy even stronger: meaning, even when they know and are certain that the sky is falling, they will change their stance and stubbornly say, "It is a piled-up cloud."

The statement {yaqūlū saḥābun markūm} (they will say, "It is piled-up clouds") indicates that when they are unable to deny the occurrence, and cannot claim that nothing has fallen to Earth, they resort to interpretation and fabrication.

Markūm means one stacked upon another. It is as if they are defending themselves against what is presented to them by arguing that clouds are like air, through which a body can pass. This is the strongest possible defense (that the object passes through). So they claim the cloud has become a dense pile, making it solid and strong.

The omission of the demonstrative pronoun (i.e., not saying hādhā [this] in yaqūlū hādhā saḥābun markūm) points to the clarity of the matter and the extent of their obstinacy. They would not dare to say something that leaves no room for argument, so they say {saḥābun markūm} while omitting the subject (mubtada’).

This omission leaves room for the speaker to retreat. If people reject their statement, they can say, "We meant it is like a piled-up cloud." If they see acceptance among the common folk, they proceed with their intended meaning. This is the tactic of one who fears the reaction to his speech and is unsure whether it will be accepted or rejected; he makes his statement have two possible meanings. If he faces rejection of one meaning, he explains it with the other; if he sees acceptance, he achieves his goal.

{فَذَرْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي فِيهِ يُصْعَقُونَ} (So leave them until they meet their Day, the Day when they will be struck down.)