Al-Ghashiyah · Makki · ayah 18 of 26

Al-Ghashiyah 88:18

وَإِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ

“And at the sky - how it is raised?”

Saheeh International

Essence

The camel is near and tame; the sky is far and out of reach, held up without pillars or strain, and we are asked how.

A reflection

Held without strain

In a weightlifting final, the rules say the bar must be held still above the head until the judges' lights come on. It is only a few seconds. You can watch the lifter's arms shake, his face redden, the whole arena holding its breath with him. When the lights come on and he drops the bar, the crowd roars. It is one of the great feats of human strength: holding something up for three seconds.

The ayah turns our eyes from the camel beside us to the sky above. The camel was near, tame and led by a child. The sky is none of those things. The commentators describe it as raised far beyond reach, without pillars and without anything holding it. One says the height is such that understanding and perception cannot reach it. Another pictures it as a roof kept safe, that does not fall on those beneath it. The Quran says the same: Allah raised the heavens without pillars that you can see (13:2). He holds the sky back from falling on the earth, except by His leave (22:65).

Nobody's arms are shaking. No lights come on. It has been held for as long as there have been eyes to look up.

Set our pride beside that. The things we hold up, a business, a family, a reputation, we hold for a while and with effort. Then we put them down, or drop them.

Is it vanity for Allah to point at His sky? Vanity is claiming what is not yours, or needing others to applaud. The sky is His, and He needs no applause. If you and everyone on earth were to disbelieve, Allah is Free of need, Praiseworthy (14:8). He points at the roof over your head so that you will know who is holding it.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.