Commentary
'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And to Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth, and those near Him do not disdain His worship, nor do they tire of it. They glorify Him night and day, and they do not slacken." His saying, exalted is He: "And to Him" can be understood as the beginning of a statement. It can also be equivalent to His saying: "And woe to you." It is as if He is dividing the matter within itself. That is, for those who have made this statement, there is woe, and to Him, exalted is He, belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth. The 'lam' in "to Him" indicates ownership, and "whoever is in the heavens and the earth" includes the angels, the prophets, and others. Then He specified from this generality those whom He intended to honor from among the angels by saying: "and those near Him"; because "near" here does not refer to distances, but rather it is an honor in status. He described them, exalted is He, as not disdaining the worship of Allah, nor do they grow weary of it or tire in it. The term "haseer" in reference to camels means exhausted, and from it is the saying of the poet: 'They were the ones who helped in the separation, and still among them is one who is exhausted.' "Hasara" and "istahsara" have the same meaning, and this is found in many verbs, even though "istaf'ala" is for seeking something. And His saying, exalted is He: "they do not slacken" has been narrated from Ka'b al-Ahbar, may Allah have mercy on him, that he said: "Allah made for them glorification like breathing and the blinking of the eye for humans, which occurs from them continuously without them experiencing weariness in it." And Qatadah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "It has been mentioned to us that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, while he was sitting with his companions, said: 'Do you hear what I hear?' They said: 'We do not hear anything, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'Indeed, I hear the creaking of the heavens, and it is right for it to creak, for there is no place in it for rest except that there is an angel prostrating or standing.'"
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