The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 444
CH. 16 AN-NAHL PT. 14 وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ And He has pressed into. 13 وَالْقَمَرَ b service for you the night and the وَالنُّجُومُ مُسَخَّرْتُ day, and the sun and the moon and the stars too have been بِأَمْرِهِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَتٍ لِقَوْمٍ pressed into service by His يَعْقِلُونَ command. Surely, in that are Signs for a people who make use of their reason. 1814 7:55; 13:3; 14:34; 35:14; 39:6. Similarly, speaking of the plants the expression (He has created), in mention has been made in the present verse, first of plants which serve as staple food and then of plants which serve only as condiments and dessert. 1814. Commentary: In this verse mention has been made of another class of Divine blessings viz. the world of inorganic matter, particularly of those things such as the sun, the moon and the stars which exercise a powerful influence upon the mental development of man, either directly or indirectly through the medium of the animal and vegetable worlds. This is why, after animals and vegetables, mention is here made of inorganic and inanimate things which also help the physical and mental sustenance and development of man. Mention has also been made of night and day, because the benefits that man derives from the alternation of night and day are directly bound with the influences of the sun, the moon and the stars. One more interesting point to note here is that whereas in the foregoing verses where animals and vegetables have been mentioned God has used 1652 (He the present verse where the sun, the moon and the stars have been mentioned, the expression has pressed into service) has been used. This is done to signify that in the case of animals and vegetables which man uses for his benefit he has to put in some effort to derive that benefit from them; therefore in consideration of this element of the personal effort of man the expression (He has created) has been used. But as the advantages he receives from the sun, the moon and the stars and from the alternation of day and night are completely gratuitous and are without any effort on man's part, the expression (He has pressed into service) has been used which signifies service without remuneration. Similarly, the use of the expression (who make use of their reason) in this verse as against the expression (who reflect) in the previous verse is also significant. The reason for using these two different expressions is that whereas the word ✓ (reflection) mental cogitation relating to matters which are near at hand, the word Jac means