لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ 40
Translations
It is not allowable [i.e., possible] for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming.
Transliteration
Lā ash-shamsu yanbaghī lahā an tudrika al-qamar wa lā al-layl sābiq an-nahār wa kullun fī falakin yasbahūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the celestial mechanics ordained by Allah, stating that the sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night precede the day—each follows its appointed course in precise, continuous orbits. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as evidence of Allah's perfect creation and divine ordering of the cosmos, where each celestial body has its designated path (falak) and cannot deviate from it. The verse demonstrates the mathematical precision and harmony of creation, refuting pre-Islamic notions of chaos or chance in the heavens.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Ya-Sin, a Meccan chapter focused on affirming Allah's oneness (tawhīd) and His creative power. It is part of a broader section (36:37-40) that uses observable natural phenomena to convince the disbelievers of Mecca of Allah's existence and sovereignty, presenting the orderly motion of celestial bodies as undeniable proof of divine design.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah; they are not eclipsed for the death or birth of anyone. So when you see an eclipse, invoke Allah and pray' (Sahih Bukhari 1043). This hadith reinforces the connection between celestial phenomena and divine signs mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah invites believers to observe the universe as evidence of Allah's perfect wisdom and control, encouraging reflection (tafakkur) on creation as a path to strengthening faith. For modern readers, it reminds us that scientific understanding of orbital mechanics and celestial motion is not contradictory to faith, but rather reveals the mathematical perfection embedded in Allah's creation.
Related Ayahs
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءً وَٱلْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allāh has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know.
وَٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَىٰهَآ
And after that He spread the earth.
أَفَلَمْ يَنظُرُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَـٰهَا وَزَيَّنَّـٰهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُوجٍ
Have they not looked at the heaven above them - how We structured it and adorned it and [how] it has no rifts?