2:164

إِنَّ فِي خَلۡقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱخۡتِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱلۡفُلۡكِ ٱلَّتِي تَجۡرِي فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٖ فَأَحۡيَا بِهِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٖ وَتَصۡرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَٰحِ وَٱلسَّحَابِ ٱلۡمُسَخَّرِ بَيۡنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّقَوۡمٖ يَعۡقِلُونَ

Inna fee khalqi alssamawati waalardi waikhtilafi allayli waalnnahari waalfulki allatee tajree fee albahri bima yanfaAAu alnnasa wama anzala Allahu mina alssamai min main faahya bihi alarda baAAda mawtiha wabaththa feeha min kulli dabbatin watasreefi alrriyahi waalssahabi almusakhkhari bayna alssamai waalardi laayatin liqawmin yaAAqiloona

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّIndeed
  2. فِيin
  3. خَلۡقِ(the) creation
  4. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ(of) the heavens
  5. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِand the earth
  6. وَٱخۡتِلَٰفِand alternation
  7. ٱلَّيۡلِof the night
  8. وَٱلنَّهَارِand the day
  9. وَٱلۡفُلۡكِand the ships
  10. ٱلَّتِيwhich
  11. تَجۡرِيsail
  12. فِيin
  13. ٱلۡبَحۡرِthe sea
  14. بِمَاwith what
  15. يَنفَعُbenefits
  16. ٱلنَّاسَ[the] people
  17. وَمَآand what
  18. أَنزَلَ(has) sent down
  19. ٱللَّهُAllah
  20. مِنَfrom
  21. ٱلسَّمَآءِthe sky
  22. مِن[of]
  23. مَّآءٖwater
  24. فَأَحۡيَاgiving life
  25. بِهِthereby
  26. ٱلۡأَرۡضَ(to) the earth
  27. بَعۡدَafter
  28. مَوۡتِهَاits death
  29. وَبَثَّand dispersing
  30. فِيهَاtherein
  31. مِن[of]
  32. كُلِّevery
  33. دَآبَّةٖmoving creature
  34. وَتَصۡرِيفِand directing
  35. ٱلرِّيَٰحِ(of) the winds
  36. وَٱلسَّحَابِand the clouds
  37. ٱلۡمُسَخَّرِ[the] controlled
  38. بَيۡنَbetween
  39. ٱلسَّمَآءِthe sky
  40. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِand the earth
  41. لَأٓيَٰتٖsurely (are) Signs
  42. لِّقَوۡمٖfor a people
  43. يَعۡقِلُونَwho use their intellect
Al-Baqarah · 2:164Madinah

Sky, sea, rain, wind: signs for those who think.

Proof of oneness in the ordinary


The signs listed
heavens and earthheight and depth
night and daynever late
ships at seacarrying benefit
raindead land lives
creaturesall kinds, all fed
winds and cloudsdirected, held
Who sees them
just weatherbackground noise
signsfor people who reason

Right after declaring He is One, Allah lists the proofs. Ibn Kathir describes each: night and day following each other without delay for an instant, ships carrying goods between lands, rain bringing dead earth to life, winds that bring mercy. All of it testifies to His oneness.

Your delivery arrives from another continent. The rain hits the window on your commute. The days are getting shorter. You see it all and notice none of it. The verse asks you to look again, and think.

Nature is just the background of my busy life.

The ordinary world is full of signs, if I stop and reason.

Try this

Next time it rains or the sun sets, put the phone down and look for one full minute.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed Ayat (proofs, evidences, signs, etc.) for people of understanding (164)

The Proofs for Tawhid

Allah said:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

(Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth...)

Therefore, the sky, with its height, intricate design, vastness, the heavenly objects in orbit, and this earth, with its density, its lowlands, mountains, seas, deserts, valleys, and other structures, and beneficial things that it has. Allah continues:

وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ

(...and in the alternation of night and day.)

This (the night) comes and then goes followed by the other (the day) which does not delay for even an instant, just as Allah said:

لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ

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

Sometimes, the day grows shorter and the night longer, and sometimes vice versa, one takes from the length of the other. Similarly Allah said:

يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ

(Allah merges the night into the day, and He merges the day into the night)(57:6) meaning, He extends the length of one from the other and vice versa. Allah then continues:

وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ

(...and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind,)

Shaping the sea in this manner, so that it is able to carry ships from one shore to another, so people benefit from what the other region has, and export what they have to them and vice versa.

Allah then continues:

وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن مَّاءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا

(...and the water (rain) which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death), which is similar to Allah's statement:

وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ الْأَرْضُ الْمَيْتَةُ أَحْيَيْنَاهَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهَا حَبًّا فَمِنْهُ يَأْكُلُونَ

(And a sign for them is the dead land. We give it life, and We bring forth from it grains, so that they eat thereof.)(36:33), until:

وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

(which they know not.)(36:36)

Allah continues:

 وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ

(and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein,) meaning, in various shapes, colors, uses and sizes, whether small or large. Allah knows all that, sustains it, and nothing is concealed from Him. Similarly, Allah said:

وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ

(And no moving (living) creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit (in the uterus or grave). All is in a Clear Book (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz ـ the Book of Decrees with Allah).)(11:6)

وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ

(...and in the veering of winds...)

Sometimes, the wind brings mercy and sometimes torment. Sometimes it brings the good news of the clouds that follow it, sometimes it leads the clouds, herding them, scattering them or directing them. Sometimes, the wind comes from the north (the northern wind), and sometimes from the south, sometimes from the east, and striking the front of the Ka'bah, sometimes from the west, striking its back. There are many books about the wind rain, stars and the regulations related to them, but here is not the place to elaborate on that, and Allah knows best.

Allah continues:

وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ

(...and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth,)

The clouds run between the sky and the earth to wherever Allah wills of lands and areas.

Allah said next:

لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

(...are indeed Ayat for people of understanding,) meaning, all these things are clear signs that testify to Allah's Oneness. Similarly, Allah said:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ - الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

(Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted are You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.")(3:190-191)