Tafseer Ibn Kathir of IBRAHIM [32]

32. Allah is He Who has created the heavens and the earth and sends down water (rain) from the sky, and thereby brought forth fruits as provision for you; and He has made the ships to be of service to you, that they may sail through the sea by His command; and He has made rivers (also) to be of service to you. 33. And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly pursuing their courses, to be of service to you; and He has made the night and the day to be of service to you. 34. And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you ï´¿try toï´¾ count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. Verily, man is indeed an extreme wrongdoer, ungrateful. Allah mentions some of the favors He has done for His creatures, such as creating the heavens as a protective ceiling and the earth as a bed. He also sends down rain from the sky and, in its aftermath brings forth a variety of vegetation, fruits and plants of different colors, shapes, tastes, scents and uses. Allah also made the ships sail on the surface of the water by His command and He made the sea able to carry these ships in order that travelers can transfer from one area to another to transport goods. Allah also created the rivers that flow through the earth from one area to another as provision for the servants which they use to drink and irrigate, and for other benefits,

(And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly pursuing their courses), rotating by night and by day,

(It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.)ï´¿36:40ï´¾ and,

(He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created) the sun, the moon, the stars subjected to His command. His is the creation and commandment. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all that exists!) ï´¿7:54ï´¾ The sun and the moon rotate in succession, and the night and the day are opposites, each taking from the length of the other or giving up some of its length,

((Allah ) merges the night into day, and merges the day into night.) ï´¿35:13ï´¾ and,

(And He has subjected the sun and the moon. Each running (on a fixed course) for an appointed term. Verily, He is the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) ï´¿39:5ï´¾ Allah said next,

(And He gave you of all that you asked for), He has prepared for you all that you need in all conditions, and what you ask Him to provide for you,

(and if you ï´¿try toï´¾ count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them.) Allah states that the servants are never able to count His blessings, let alone thank Him duly for them. In Sahih Al-Bukhari it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah used to supplicate;

(O Allah ! All praise is due to You, without being able to sufficiently thank You, nor ever wish to be cutoff from You, nor ever feeling rich from relying on You; our Lord!) It was reported that Prophet Dawud, peace be upon him, used to say in his supplication, ”O Lord! How can I ever duly thank You, when my thanking You is also a favor from You to me'' Allah the Exalted answered him, ”Now, you have thanked Me sufficiently, O Dawud,'' meaning, `when you admitted that you will never be able to duly thank Me.'