وَكَأَيِّن مِّنْ ءَايَةٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ 105
Translations
And how many a sign within the heavens and earth do they pass over while they, therefrom, are turning away.
Transliteration
Wa-ka-ayyin min ayatin fi al-samawati wa-al-ardi yamurrun alayha wa-hum anha mu'ridun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah highlights how countless signs (ayat) of Allah's power and wisdom are manifest in the heavens and the earth, yet many people pass by them heedlessly, turning away in indifference. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that these signs—from the celestial bodies to earthly phenomena—are clear proofs of Allah's existence and oneness, but human heedlessness and spiritual blindness prevent people from contemplating and benefiting from them. Al-Qurtubi notes that this aversion is a form of deliberate rejection despite the clarity of evidence.
Revelation Context
While no specific asbab al-nuzul is recorded for this ayah, it appears within Surah Yusuf's broader Meccan context of addressing the disbelievers of Mecca who rejected the Prophet's message. The ayah serves as a general rebuke to those who possess the cognitive ability to reflect upon creation yet choose willful ignorance instead.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Reflect upon creation, but do not reflect upon the Creator' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet emphasizes that 'In every creature there is a sign of Allah's oneness' relates to the theme of recognizing divine signs.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that spiritual blindness is often a choice rather than an inability—we are surrounded by undeniable proofs of Allah's majesty, yet our hearts must be actively willing to observe and reflect. For modern believers, this is a call to cultivate conscious awareness of the divine in nature and to examine whether we too pass through life heedless of the signs meant to draw us closer to our Creator.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَآ أَن رَّءَا بُرْهَـٰنَ رَبِّهِۦ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَٱلْفَحْشَآءَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ
And she certainly determined [to seduce] him, and he would have inclined to her had he not seen the proof [i.e., sign] of his Lord. And thus [it was] that We should avert from him evil and immorality. Indeed, he was of Our chosen servants.
قُلْ هَـٰذِهِۦ سَبِيلِىٓ أَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ عَلَىٰ بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا۠ وَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَنِى ۖ وَسُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allāh with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allāh; and I am not of those who associate others with Him."
وَقَالَ لِلَّذِى ظَنَّ أَنَّهُۥ نَاجٍ مِّنْهُمَا ٱذْكُرْنِى عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنسَىٰهُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِى ٱلسِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ
And he said to the one whom he knew would go free, "Mention me before your master." But Satan made him forget the mention [to] his master, and he [i.e., Joseph] remained in prison several years.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِن تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰٓ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ كَمَآ أَتَمَّهَا عَلَىٰٓ أَبَوَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
And thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of narratives [i.e., events or dreams] and complete His favor upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He completed it upon your fathers before, Abraham and Isaac. Indeed, your Lord is Knowing and Wise."