Transliteration:( Awalam yaraw ilat tairi fawqahum saaaffaatinw wa yaqbidn; maa yumsikuhunna il'lar rahmaan; innahoo bikulli shai in baseer )
38. From this we learn that only Allah Almighty is preventing the heavens from falling down.Otherwise, any heavy thing has comes down.
39. In "none withholds them" the antecedent of them is either birds, ie, these birds when flying in the air sometimes open their wings and sometimes keep them closed, yet they do not fall down.
This tells us that it is not just their wings that keep them in the air, but it is Allah Almighty Who keeps them from falling. They are just a collection of meat and bones, which should have fallen down. Today, it is Allah Almighty Who protects the aeroplanes from falling down and not their machines and engines, because without the protection of Allah Almighty, how often have we not seen engine failures causing the planes to be destroyed? Or, its antecedent is the heavens, i.e. these heavens are such heavy bodies, which are neither hanging on anything, nor are they placed or set up in anything. Despite this, they do not fall down because it is Allah Almighty Who is preventing them from falling down.
40. This means when flying, the birds spread their wings or fold them. If the spreading of their wings was protecting them from falling down, then the folding of their wings should have caused them to fall down. Yet, they do not fall, although any heavy thing that is up is supposed to fall down.
The tafsir of Surah Al-Mulk verse 19 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Mulk ayat 16 which provides the complete commentary from verse 16 through 19.
(67:19) Have they not seen birds above them spreading and closing their wings, with none holding them except the Merciful One?[29] He oversees everything.[30]
29. That is, each bird that flies in the air, does so in the protection of the All-Merciful God. He it is Who has given to each bird the form and structure by which it became able to fly. He it is Who has taught each bird the method to fly. He it is Who has made the air obey the laws by which it became possible for the heavier than air bodies to fly in it, and He it is Who upholds every bird in the air, otherwise the moment Allah withdraws His protection from it, it drops to the ground.
30. That is, this is not confined only to birds, but whatever exists in the world, exists because of Allah’s keeping and guardianship. He alone provides the means necessary for the existence of everything, and He alone keeps watch that everything created by Him is provided with the necessities of life.
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