وَكَأَيِّن مِن آيَةٍ فِي السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ يَمُرّونَ عَلَيها وَهُم عَنها مُعرِضونَ

How many a sign there is in the heavens and the earth that they pass by while they are disregardful of it!

EXEGESIS

Kaʾayyin min (how many) is similar to kam, except it indicates a number that is beyond our ability to keep track of or count.[1]

EXPOSITION

How many a sign there is in the heavens and the earth that they pass by: it should not be surprising that people turn away from the Holy Prophet’s call, as the message brought by him is not the only reminder sent by God to people. The very fabric of creation is woven with divine signs all testifying to a purposeful Creator who governs existence with wisdom and care.[2] History itself serves as an open book of moral instruction, where the ruins of arrogant civilisations warn against power’s corruption, while the enduring legacy of the righteous demonstrates faith’s transformative power. Our personal lives too are filled with signs of God’s intimate presence in our lives, reminding us that we have a Lord that watches over us.

Tabatabai proposes that yamurrūna (pass by) in this context conveys sequential progression, suggesting that disbelievers encounter divine signs successively, yet persistently reject each one.[3] This interpretation is linguistically reinforced by the verse’s use of the singular āyah (sign) rather than the plural āyāt (signs), subtly emphasising the iterative nature of their rejection: as each individual sign manifests, they disregard it, only to confront another.

He also considers that it is possible to understand the word yamurrūna literally, as a reference to how planet earth moves through the galaxy, taking us past the wondrous heavens created by God, contrary to our senses which make it seem like they are moving around us.[4]

While they are disregardful of it: unfortunately, the majority of people ignore these signs and reminders and miss the opportunity to benefit from them. This is not because they cannot see them, but because they choose to turn away from them.

Recall how this surah opened with God’s profound declaration, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran so that you might apply reason (verse 2). Just as some reject rational engagement with the Quran’s verses (āyāt) despite encountering them, others stubbornly disregard the divine āyāt manifest in creation itself; those ‘signs’ they have effectively ‘read’ in the natural world yet fail to comprehend. Both groups ignore the same fundamental truth that God’s revelations, whether scriptural or cosmic, demand thoughtful reflection to yield their transformative wisdom.

[1] Sharawi, pp. 7109-7111.
[2] See Razi, 18/519.
[3] Mizan, 11/275.
[4] Mizan, 11/275.