وَالسَّماءِ وَما بَناها

By the sky and Him who built it.

EXEGESIS

The verses use the preposition mā (what) instead of man (who) even though in meaning it is the latter that is intended. Mā is usually used for inanimate objects and thus a question arises as to why God did not use the preposition man which is used for intelligent beings.

Some have said mā was used to indicate that a descriptive meaning was intended and thus the verse would read: By that powerful thing that built the sky.^{‎[1]Daqaiq, 14/295; Zamakhshari, 4/759.}

According to Tabatabai, the mā is conjunctive (mawṣūlah) and thus gives the meaning of who (alladhī), and the reason why mā was used instead of man is to give a sense of ambiguity which is a rhetorical tool used to increase greatness and awe. As such, this verse and the next would read: And by the sky and that powerful and great entity who built it, and by the earth and that powerful and great entity who spread it.^{‎[2]Mizan, 20/297.}

Another opinion, attributed to Kalbī^{‎[3]Tibyan, 10/357.} and supported by Faḍl-Allāh^{‎[4]Fadlallah, 24/282.} and Mughniyyah,^{‎[5]Kashif, 7/570.} is that mā here is used in the infinitive sense (maṣdariyyah), and in this case the meaning would be: And by the sky and its creation, due to its complex and intricate design.^{‎[6]Tabrisi, 10/755.} Some advocates of this view have also added that it seems farfetched that if the verse was intending to swear by the Creator of the skies, why would God first swear by the sun, day, and night, and then swear by Himself?^{‎[7]Razi, 31/175.}

[1] Daqaiq, 14/295; Zamakhshari, 4/759.
[2] Mizan, 20/297.
[3] Tibyan, 10/357.
[4] Fadlallah, 24/282.
[5] Kashif, 7/570.
[6] Tabrisi, 10/755.
[7] Razi, 31/175.