In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful
Extol, then, God’s limitless glory both in your evening hours and in your morning hours.
To Him is due all praise in the heavens and the earth, at twilight and at noon.
He it is who brings forth the living out of that which is dead, and brings forth the dead out of that which is alive, and gives life to the earth after it has been lifeless. Likewise shall you be raised to life.
One of His signs is that He created you from dust; and, behold, you become human beings spreading far and wide.
And among His signs is that He creates for you spouses out of your own kind, so that you might incline toward them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you. In this there are clear signs indeed for people who think. (The Byzantines, Al-Roum: 30: 17-21)
“Extol, then, God’s limitless glory both in your evening hours and in your morning hours. To Him is due all praise in the heavens and the earth, at twilight and at noon.” This glorification and praise of God are stated here in comment on the previous section that shows a scene of the Day of Judgment when the believers win the prize of entry into heaven while those who disbelieve are brought to witness their own suffering. They also serve as an introduction to the great tour that immediately follows. They thus provide a smooth link between the previous scene and the forthcoming tour.
The surah mentions that glorification and praise are made at certain times: evening, morning, night and noon, and also links these to the heavens and the earth. Thus, it encompasses both time and place in their great dimensions, establishing the bond between the human heart and God in all times and places, making us feel this bond as we move with the great cycle that is the universe. Thus our hearts remain open, alert, appreciating all that is around us of scenes and phenomena. Every change of time and place reminds us to glorify God and extol His praises.
“He it is who brings forth the living out of that which is dead, and brings forth the dead out of that which is alive, and gives life to the earth after it has been lifeless. Likewise shall you be raised to life.” It is a continuous cycle that never stops for a moment of the night or day at any place on earth, in space, or the depths of the sea. At every moment this great miracle occurs, but we remain heedless of it because of our long familiarity with it. Not a moment passes by without a life coming out of a dead thing, or a living being dying: a small bud shoots out of a seed or splits a stone to come into life; or conversely a branch or a tree withers away. Still in the heap of dying plants and trees a seed or a stone is ready to start the life cycle again, and out of that heap gases spread into the air or provide nourishment to the soil that becomes fertile. At every moment life starts in a foetus, a bird or an animal. A corpse buried in the earth becomes part of the soil and gives it vapours and gases that make new life matter and nourishment for plants, which in turn provide food for man and animal. A similar cycle takes place in the depths of the sea and in limitless space. It is an awesome, fascinating cycle if we would only contemplate it with insight, guided by the light of the Qur’an.
“Likewise shall you be raised to life.” It is all an ordinary, simple matter, familiar in the universe, occurring at every moment of the night and day and in all places.
“One of His signs is that He created you from dust; and, behold, you become human beings spreading far and wide.” Dust, which is the first origin of man, is dead, motionless. Another verse states: “Indeed, We create man out of the essence of clay.” (23: 12) Clay, then, is the distant origin of man, but in this verse, only a brief reference is made to this before we see people spreading and moving about. The surah thus provides a sharp contrast between the dead dust and living people. As this immediately follows the verse that includes, “He it is who brings forth the living out of that which is dead, and brings forth the dead out of that which is alive,” it enhances harmony in the argument’s presentation.
This great miracle is one of the signs of God’s power. It gives a strong hint of the close link between the earth and the people living on it, as it is from the earth that they were originally formed. Both they and the earth are subject to the same laws within the universal system. The great leap from the still image of dead dust to the bustling image of the highly sophisticated human being should encourage deep reflection on God’s power of creation. It should encourage people to extol God’s glory and praise.
The next verse looks at the shared life between the two sexes: “And among His signs is that He creates for you spouses out of your own kind, so that you might incline toward them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you. In this there are clear signs indeed for people who think.” People are well aware of their feelings toward the other sex; indeed, they are often preoccupied with this relationship. Very often they are motivated to a certain action but they seldom remember that it is God who created their spouses out of their own kind and gave them emotions and feelings. He it is who has made the relationship between the two a source of physical and emotional comfort, stability, spiritual friendship, and reassurance for both. The gentle Qur’anic expression of this relationship profoundly inspires our hearts: “so that you might incline toward them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you.”
“In this there are clear signs indeed for people who think.” When people think and reflect, they appreciate the divine wisdom in creating each of the two sexes in such a way that is complementary to the other, providing fulfilment for natural needs whether psychological, mental or physical. Thus both incline toward each other and find comfort and stability, tenderness and reassurance, love and compassion. This is so because God has made the physical and mental constitution of each naturally inclined to fulfil the needs of the other, while their meeting and union ensures the beginning of a new life for a new generation.