ﲂ ﲃ ﲄ ﲅ ﲆ ﲇ ﲈ ﲉ ﲊ ﲋ ﲌ ﲍ ﲎ ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ ﲒ ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ ﲖ ﲗ ﲘ
The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing and Forgiving.
Tafsir
Verse range: 17:44
"The heavens and the earth glorify Him..."
The intended meaning is that they glorify Him through the "tongue of state" (lisan al-hal), as they provide evidence for the Creator, His power, and His wisdom. It is as if they are speaking this, and as if they are declaring Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—to be free from partners and other things that are not permissible for Him.
If you ask: What do you make of His saying, "But you do not understand their glorification," when this glorification is understood and known?
I say: The address is directed at the polytheists. Although they would say "Allah" when asked who created the heavens and the earth, they still associated partners with Him alongside that acknowledgment. It is as if they had neither observed nor acknowledged [the truth], because the result of sound observation and firm acknowledgment contradicts the state they were in. Thus, they did not understand the glorification and did not perceive the evidence for the Creator.
If you ask: Those who are within them—the angels and the two heavy groups (jinn and mankind)—glorify Him in reality, and they are conjoined to the heavens and the earth [in the verse]. What is the interpretation of this?
I say: Metaphorical glorification applies to all of them, so it is necessary to interpret it as such. Otherwise, a single word in a single context would be forced to carry both a literal and a metaphorical meaning simultaneously.
"Indeed, He is Forbearing, Forgiving"—in that He does not hasten your punishment for your heedlessness, your poor observation, your ignorance of the glorification, and your polytheism.
"And when you recite the Qur’an, We place between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter a hidden barrier. And We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion. We are most knowing of how they listen when they listen to you and when they are in private conversation, when the wrongdoers say, 'You follow not but a man affected by magic.' Look at how they strike comparisons for you; but they have strayed, so they cannot [find] a way."
