Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:16

"And We did not create the heaven..."

Meaning: We did not fashion this raised ceiling, this laid-out expanse, and the various creatures between them—filled with types of wonders and marvels—as tyrants fashion their ceilings, furnishings, and other ornaments, for the sake of amusement and play.

Rather, We fashioned them for religious benefits and divine wisdoms, so they may be sites of reflection, contemplation, deduction, and observation for Our servants, alongside the countless benefits and innumerable utilities they derive from them.

Then, He explains that the reason for abandoning the taking of amusement and play, and its negation from My actions, is that wisdom diverts from it. Otherwise, I am capable of taking it—if I were one to do so—for I am capable of all things.

His saying: "We would have taken it from Us" is like His saying: "A provision from Us" (Al-Qasas: 57), meaning: from the direction of Our power.

It is said: "Amusement" (al-lahw) means a child in the dialect of Yemen. It is also said: a woman. It is also said: "From Us" means from the angels, not from humans, as a refutation of the birth of the Messiah and Uzair.

"Nay, We hurl the truth against falsehood, so it crushes it, and behold, it vanishes. And woe to you for what you describe."