Juz 23: Yā Sīn 28 to Az-Zumar 31
Section 3 of 18 · Tafsir of the Qur’an · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Signs of Allah's Oneness and Power
The verses of Surah Ya-Sin following the story of Habib an-Najar establish powerful arguments for the oneness of Allah through natural phenomena that humans witness in their everyday lives. Allah presents three primary categories of evidence in these verses: the revival of dead land, the precision of celestial bodies, and the miracle of ships traversing the seas.
Allah draws attention first to the revival of barren land as a sign of His power:
وَآيَةٌ لَهُمُ الْأَرْضُ الْمَيْتَةُ أَحْيَيْنَاهَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهَا حَبًّا فَمِنْهُ يَأْكُلُونَ
“And a sign for them is the dead land. We have brought it to life and brought forth from it grain, so they eat from it.”
This manifestation of divine power occurs regularly before our eyes, yet many fail to contemplate its significance. The transformation of desolate, dry earth into fertile land producing abundant crops after rainfall demonstrates Allah's ability to resurrect and regenerate. Just as Allah revives barren land, He can resurrect human beings after death—a recurring theme in the Quran to establish the reality of the Hereafter.
The second category of evidence relates to the perfect order and systematic movement of celestial bodies:
وَآيَةٌ لَهُمُ اللَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ
“And a sign for them is the night from which We strip the day, and at once they are in darkness.”
Allah continues with the precision of the sun's orbit:
وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
“And the sun runs to its resting place. That is the designing of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.”
The alternation between day and night and the precise movements of the sun and moon each in their ordained paths demonstrate Allah's perfect design and control over the universe. Allah further emphasizes this point:
لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
“It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. Each one is swimming in an orbit.”
The third category of evidence relates to ships and vessels traversing the seas:
وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمْ أَنَّا حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ
“And a sign for them is that We carried their progeny in the loaded ship.”
Allah then makes a remarkable prophecy about future modes of transportation:
وَخَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِّن مِّثْلِهِ مَا يَرْكَبُونَ
“And We created for them the likes of it in which they ride.”
This verse contains a miraculous prophecy, foretelling humanity's development of various transportation methods similar to ships but different—possibly referring to submarines, hovercrafts, airplanes, and other modern vehicles that were inconceivable during the revelation of the Quran.
Allah reminds humanity that these vessels float only by His mercy:
وَإِن نَّشَأْ نُغْرِقْهُمْ فَلَا صَرِيخَ لَهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنقَذُونَ
“And if We so will, We can drown them, and they will have no one to help them, nor will they be rescued.”
These verses establish that all aspects of creation—from the revival of dead land to the precision of celestial movements to the miracle of flotation—operate under divine control. Far from being random occurrences, they represent a deliberate and perfectly designed system that points to the existence of One Creator possessing absolute wisdom and power.
Through these natural signs, Allah invites humanity to reflect on His oneness, power, and creativity, establishing irrefutable evidence for His existence and the certainty of resurrection.