لَا الشَّمسُ يَنبَغي لَها أَن تُدرِكَ القَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيلُ سابِقُ النَّهارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّ في فَلَكٍ يَسبَحونَ

Neither it behoves the sun to overtake the moon, nor may the night outrun the day, and each swims in an orbit.

EXEGESIS

Yanbaghī (behoves) in present tense signifies that something should be done because it is suitable, fits, or is the right thing to do. The opposite is that it should not be done because it is not right, proper, does not fit, meet, or is not allowable.^{‎[1]Lane, p. 232.}

Falak (orbit) is a place for the circulation of the celestial bodies or stars.^{‎[2]Lane, p. 2444.}

Yasbaḥūn (they swim). Swimming is a generic term for easy and frictionless movement, be it on water, in air, in space, or on any other course. The sun and the moon glide or travel swiftly in the sky like a swimmer in water.^{‎[3]Lane, p. 1290.}

EXPOSITION

The orbits of the sun and the moon are arranged at a distance of millions of kilometres apart so that they never crash. The night and the day are ever confused with each other; this is the measurement of Allah. The days go by; the nights go by; the sun, the earth, and the moon are moving for billions and billions of years, and no fault ever occurs; no disorganisation has ever appeared.

The organisation of the universe, the harmony of nature, and the design of the creatures all indicate one thing: the baffling wisdom, knowledge, and power of the Creator. At times one hears that it is simple to say that it is due to science that these are working. The answer is that science is a human struggle to understand the intelligence already in place in creation. Science should add to our awe and appreciation for the intelligence imbued in creation. Sometimes we childishly talk about science as if it is an opposite and an adversary to God, while science only discovers the measurement of Allah. And what we discover is much less than what is hidden from us. The more we become knowledgeable about this world and the more our science improves, the better we can grasp the signs of Allah and appreciate His placing of order in the universe.

Each swim in an orbit includes the movement of the sun, moon, planets, stars, and all other celestial bodies; thus, their movements are organised in a specific astronomical orbit, similar to fast swimming.

The exegetes have indicted various conflicting views regarding this verse, which have been skipped; to know those views, one can refer to more detailed interpretations of this verse.^{‎[4]Mizan, 17/91.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘Consider, O Mufaḍḍal, the stars and their distinctive paths; they do not budge from their positions in their path, and they move collectively. There are others that move from zone to zone and have their distinctive paths … Ask those who claim that these stars have come into being as they are by themselves randomly without any designer as to what was interfered in them all becoming either stationary or moving bodies. Creation without a creator presumes a single pattern; why should two different movements occur on a definite pattern and quantum? All this demonstrates that the movement of the two categories of stars as it subsists at present is the result of a definite purpose, design, and ingenuity, not something meaningless as these materialist atheists claim. Think about the location of the sun and the moon, which are moving very fast, and if they were nearer to us their velocity was precisely to be felt as it is. Do you not think the eyes would have been dazzled by their brilliance and radiation, just as they are dazzled by the radiation of the lightning when it begins sparkling continuously, kindling the space between the earth and the sky like fire? Similarly, if some people were under a dome with a ceiling studded with many lamps revolving around them closely, their eyes would have been harmed, and they would have fallen on their faces. Thus, see how it has been ordained that they would move with their existing motions at enormous distances from us to protect our eyesight against damage and disease while retaining the tremendous speed required for them to serve the purpose. Therefore, consider the kindness and ingenuity associated with this ordinance when He made for the darkness a phase and a period needed, and He allocated some light to serve the objectives we have described.’^{‎[5]Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, Tawḥīd Mufaḍḍal, (Najaf: Ḥaydariyyah Printing, 1955), pp. 82-85.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some exegetes have said that the sun not being able to reach the moon means that night and day do not overlap each other.^{‎[6]Razi, 26/73.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is his name.^{‎[7]Jeremiah 31:35.}
2. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.^{‎[8]Psalms 121:5-6.}
3. He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn, and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out over the face of the land – the Lord is his name.^{‎[9]Amos 5:8.}

[1] Lane, p. 232.
[2] Lane, p. 2444.
[3] Lane, p. 1290.
[4] Mizan, 17/91.
[5] Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, Tawḥīd Mufaḍḍal, (Najaf: Ḥaydariyyah Printing, 1955), pp. 82-85.
[6] Razi, 26/73.
[7] Jeremiah 31:35.
[8] Psalms 121:5-6.
[9] Amos 5:8.