Transliteration:( Wash-shamsu tajree limustaqarril lahaa; zaalika taqdeerul 'Azeezil Aleem )
"And the sun [55] moves on a prescribed course [56], This is the Commandment of the Most Honourable, the Most Knowing [57]."
This verse confirms that the sun is not stationary, but moves according to a divinely set order. While modern astronomy explains the sun’s movement in terms of orbiting within the galaxy, this verse asserts that such motion is part of Allah’s grand design. It reminds us that the sun, stars, earth, and heavens are not random or chaotic but anchored and governed by divine laws.
The "prescribed course" refers to the sun’s journey until a fixed endpoint, which is commonly interpreted as the Day of Judgement, or the sun’s final stage in the divine timeline. It may also point to the cyclical pattern of sunrise and sunset, seasonal shifts, or its long-term celestial movement—all known only to Allah.
This entire system of celestial motion is under the command of "the Most Honourable, the Most Knowing". Allah, in His infinite wisdom, has set these exact timings and movements which give rise to seasons, days, and years—all of which are essential for human life.
The verse teaches that behind every natural phenomenon is the command and knowledge of Allah, and that even the greatest celestial bodies are subservient to His will.
The tafsir of Surah Yaseen verse 38 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Yaseen ayat 37 which provides the complete commentary from verse 37 through 40.
(36:38) The sun is running its course to its appointed place.[33] That is the ordaining of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.
33. “Place of rest” may either mean the place where the sun will ultimately come to a halt, or the time when it will come to a halt. The true meaning of this verse can be determined only when man has attained the full and exact knowledge of the realities of the universe. But man’s knowledge is such that it has been changing in every age and what he seems to know today might change tomorrow. The people of the ancient times on the basis of their observations of the sun believed that it was moving round the earth. Then after further research and observation the view became that the sun was stationary and all the planets of the solar system were revolving round it. But this theory also did not last long. The later observations revealed that not only the sun but all the stars are also moving in a particular direction, at speeds of 10 to 100 miles per second. About the sun the modern astronomers hold the view that it is moving at a speed of 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) per second along with its whole family of the planets. (See Star and Sun in Encyclopedia Britannica).
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