Shafaqna English- Commentary on the 2nd Chapter of the Holy Quran by Mohammad Sobhanie.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ ….﴿٢١﴾ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّـهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٢٢﴾
2:21 O’ Mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah (SWT)) who created you and those before you.
2:22 Who made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky a canopy, and sends down rain from the clouds and brought forth with it fruits for your sustenance. Then, do not set up rivals[1] to Allah (SWT) knowingly (that God has created you and has provided your provisions).
Do Not Set Up Rivals to Allah (SWT)
Commentary: Before the rise of Islam, most Bedouin tribes of Makkah believed that Allah (SWT) created the universe and delegated the care for the needs of God’s creations to different idols. Consequently, the Bedouins worshipped idols rather than Allah (SWT) for their needs, which included rain, sustenance, and health[2].
The Bedouin tribes of Makkah put their idols at the same level as Allah (SWT) (أَندَادًا). Instead of invoking Allah (SWT) for help and sustenance, they worshipped the idols.
The Verse refutes this ideology and says: “O’ mankind, your Lord is the one who created you and those before you”, and God takes care of your needs by making “the earth a resting place for you, and the sky a canopy, and sends down rain from the clouds and brought forth with it fruits for your sustenance.”
…الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ … ﴿٢١﴾ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ … ﴿٢٢﴾
Hence, the Verse continues to say: “Do not set up rivals to Allah (SWT) knowingly (that God has created you and has provided your provisions)”:
… فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّـهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٢٢﴾
Allah (SWT) provided the earth as a suitable habitat for humanity. The blue sky (the sky is referred to as the atmosphere) insulates Earth’s heat and shields its life from harmful solar radiation and space debris. The sky also provides rain, which is the prime nutrient for all animal and plant life.
In conclusion, one’s faith in Allah (SWT) could be severely corrupted by believing that an entity besides Allah (SWT) possesses an inherent power to shape our destiny or bring harm or goodness to our lives. This “entity” could be the power of nature, personal wealth, family, etc. Islam teaches us that Allah (SWT) is the sole owner of all bounties and blessings, and God alone sustains God’s creations through God’s endless means.
Word-for-Word Translation:
2.22 [الَّذِي] The one who [جَعَلَ] made [لَكُمُ] for you [الْأَرْضَ] the earth [فِرَاشًا] a resting place [وَالسَّمَاءَ] and the sky [بِنَاءً] a canopy [وَأَنزَلَ] and sent down [مِنَ] from [السَّمَاءِ] the sky [مَاءً] water [فَأَخْرَجَ] then brought forth [بِهِ] therewith [مِنَ] of [الثَّمَرَاتِ] the fruits [رِزْقًا] as provision [لَّكُمْ] for you [فَلَا] so do not [تَجْعَلُوا] set up [لِلَّـهِ] to Allah [أَندَادًا] rivals [وَأَنتُمْ] while you [تَعْلَمُونَ] know.
Notes:
[1]. “Andadan” (أَندَادًا) plural of “Nad” (ندَ) is translated to rival, a person or thing that equals another in quality.
[2]. Maryam 19:81 and Ya-Sin 36:74.
Commentary on the Holy Quran (2:23-24)