Qur'an reading and commentary

Here is a reading from the Qur’an and a brief explanation.

Surah 14:32-33

Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and send down water from the clouds, then brought forth with it fruits as a sustenance for you, and He has made the ships subservient to you, that they might run their course in the sea by His command, and He has made the rivers subservient to you.

And He has made subservient to you the sun and the moon pursuing their courses, and He has made subservient to you the night and the day.

***
The first verse is very straightforward and easy to understand. It is a beautiful imagery of how Allah created the goodness that humans benefit from. He created the heavens and the earth, and the waters that not only rain but also nourish the agriculture of the land, and provide a means for transportation. So this section reminds the reader that Allah created heaven and earth and describes the benefits of the water that falls from the sky and how Allah gives humans the intelligence and physical dexterity to use the rains and waters to drink, use in agriculture, and for transport that humans can control.

But one might be puzzled by the second verse where it is stated that Allah makes subservient to humans the sun and the moon, and the night and the day. How can that be? Humans do not physically control the skies or the length of the day, or the movement of the sun and moon. So what does this mean? The explanation is clear when you pay close attention to the linkage between the first verse and the second. Allah sends the rain (which man does not control) but it goes into predictable placements, that is, the sea and the rivers. Humans are given the means by Allah to control the waters by virtue that humans can build irrigation canals, built and sail ships, and manage the rivers through walls and other systems to create lakes and to change their course. So the end result of the God given water is that humans can control the output, the results of the God given rain. This is a deliberate lead-in for the second verse. Obviously humans do not decree that the sun moves here, the moon there, and the day and the night are of these lengths. God did that in the beginning. But God gave humans the gift of the light and heat of the sun, and the rest and coolness of the moon at night so that humans have the energy of the sun and the timing of the moon (the ability to tell time). So humans have control over the sun in that they understand when it appears and when crops can be planted and outdoor life (in this time before electricity) can be lived. The subservience means that sunlight, warmth and timing are understandable by humans and can be used at their will. Why would Allah use the word “subservience” though to mean “usable?” Would it not be clearer if Allah said, “Don’t forget I control the sun, the moon, the night and the day, but I let you benefit from the results?” Not really because that misses the point. Allah is pointing out the nature of his gift to humans so that they do not take it for granted. Suppose that Allah did not create the sun and moon to be “subservient” to humans. The sun might pop out for only three hours of sunlight and heat one day, disappear for two days so that people are in darkness for forty-eight hours, then the moon would suddenly appear and zoom across the sky, but not return when it was expected, and so forth. Humans would not be able to have clocks, grow crops that rely on sunshine, nor have regular routines of work and rest. So God makes the sun and moon “subservient to human’s needs.” Can anyone think of a better system than these three hundreds plus of days in the year, each divided into day (work) and night (rest), where by day the sun warms and plants grow while animals thrive, and in the night it cools and there is rest, except for the animals who thrive in the night? God did not establish the sun and the moon and the day and night cycles for the benefit of algae, or frogs, or camels, or birds, or tigers. They live within the cycle that was created and optimized by God for the benefit of humans, since God in his infinite wisdom knew that this system is the greatest health and spiritual benefit of humans to thrive. People like to read science fiction where other planets are near a big red sun or having different color moons zooming around, but trust me, people would not thrive there as they do in this “system” of days and night guided by the reliable and punctual movements of regularity of the sun and the moon. We know this much better in modern times as we see people with "SAD" (seasonal affective disorder) and depression when there is too much unnatural office lighting, not enough sleep and so forth. God "tuned" the sun and moon, day and night perfectly for human health and goodness and deviating from natural cycles causes many problems with illness and spiritual disorders.

This is the meaning of the passage. It is not “permission” to attempt to control other people through astrology and fortunetelling. When you read scriptures in the full context you do not make errors of thinking that God is giving some sort of hint as to extraordinary occult power that humans should seize and abuse. Far from it; his entire passage is a reminder of reasons to be grateful to God. This is obvious to the reader who reads the entire passage in context that this is instruction from Allah, not a series of hints about more power to seize.

Let me be even plainer, not for my Muslim brothers and sisters, but for profane “new agers” who are always trolling for justification for their power seeking over others. If Allah was using this passage as “permission” for “astrology” he would have phrased it consistently as he does in the Torah, Gospel and here throughout the Qur’an. God would not have said that the sun and moon are subservient, because that is obviously a statement of gift. God would have said, “And people will be subservient to other people who understand the movements of the planets and use them wisely to manage and manipulate their lives, so that there will be a class of people who are the astrologers and a class of people who are the subjects. And just as in the Torah I outlined the duties of master and slave here are the duties of astrologer and subject.” Can you imagine God ever making such a statement when he is very clear about the forbidden activity of fortunetelling and prophesy that is not directly from God’s servants the prophets? Obviously not; God would never make this statement, he never has and he never will. Islam in particular is distinguished as the faith among the three brotherly faiths that is most distancing itself from a caste system or codification of slave and servant. For example the Haj is where all are equal before Allah. Astrologers do not march around one tier and the lower people they control around another tier. Astrologers do not get to Haj during the choice times in chariots while the ordinary ignorant must Haj when it is hottest, most crowded and on the unpaved dirt roads. So it would be an unbelievable mistake to misinterpret this beautiful passage as anything but that it is a reminder of the reliability of the life giving physical gifts (water, light, heat, coolness, and dark) that the Lord gives to humans. It is very obvious in closing to read the next passage.

And He gives you of all that you ask Him; and if you count Allah’s favors, you will not be able to number them, must surely man is very unjust, very ungrateful. (Surah 14:34).

Notice that Allah “gives you” “of” “all that you ask Him.” Allah does not give humans everything; he does not give “all.” He gives them the portion they need, the “of all.” So this passage is a reminder of the many gifts that humans have openly received from Allah, and a reminder to be grateful, not a hint that like greedy children you should dig for more gifts when you already have received such abundance that you are too unmindful to make even a complete list!

I hope these comments are useful to all readers of my blog posting here.