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Al-Anbiya (21:33)
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ
It is He who created night and day, the sun and the moon, each floating in its orbit.
First word: خَلَق
Root: خ – ل – ق
Possible meanings: To create, creation, shape, form, nature, disposition.
Second word: لیل
Root Words: ل – ي – ل
Possible meanings: Night, opposite of day, darkness.
Third word: نھار
Root words: ن – ه – ر
Possible meanings: Day, opposite of night, light.
Fourth word: شمس
Root words: ش – م – س
Possible meanings: Sun, source of light, opposite of moon, daylight, solar body.
Fifth word: قمر
Root words: ق – م – ر
Possible meanings: Moon, source of night illumination, opposite of sun, nightlight, lunar body.
Sixth word: فلک
Root words: ف – ل – ك
Possible meanings: Orbit, sky, heaven, celestial sphere, orb, firmament, sphere in which celestial bodies move.
Translation
“‘Each in an orbit, swimming’ is a new (independent) sentence introduced as an explanatory continuation.
This is because when opposing things were mentioned—either by their nature or by their times—in a general way (as in the signs of the sky), and then in more detail (as in the sun and the moon), the context naturally raises a question in the minds of listeners:
How do these bodies move?
Why do they not collide?
Why do they not fail to appear at their appointed times?
So the answer is given:
Each of the mentioned entities has its own space in which it moves, not intersecting with the space of another.
Pronoun Explanation
The pronoun in “they swim” (يَسْبَحُونَ) refers to:
All the signs of the sky in general
And specifically the sun and the moon
The plural masculine pronoun is used because:
Some of these nouns are grammatically masculine (like moon and planet)
Or because they are described with “swimming,” which is an action associated with rational beings
As mentioned in al-Kashshāf, this strengthens the metaphor (a rhetorical enhancement).
Grammar Notes
“In an orbit” (فِي فَلَكٍ)
→ A stable ظرف (adverbial phrase), functioning as the predicate (خبر)
“Each” كُلٌّ
→ مبتدأ (subject)
→ Its tanwīn replaces an omitted possessive phrase, meaning: each of those things
The meaning implies:
Each of them is fixed in its own orbit and does not collide with another.
From the word “each” and the use of “in”, it is understood that:
→ “orbit” is general
→ Each has its own orbit
→ Therefore, there are many orbits
Meaning of “Swimming”
“Swimming” (السَّبْح) is استعارة (metaphor)
It means moving freely in a vast space
Unlike roads on الأرض (earth), which intersect
This helps approximate how celestial bodies move in vast space
Meaning of “Orbit” (فَلَك)
Linguists: مدار النجوم (path of stars)
Interpreters: same meaning in this verse
Likely a Qur’anic technical term later adopted by Muslim scholars
Possible origin:
From sea waves (circular motion)
Ultimately from spindle wheel (فلكة المغزل), a round spinning object
Rhetorical Beauty (Balāghah)
The phrase:
“كُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ”
has a rhetorical feature:
It reads the same forwards and backwards (letter-wise order preserved)
A similar example:
“رَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ”
Both phrases:
Contain seven letters
Represent a style called “reversible palindrome” (المقلوب المستوى)
Literary Notes
This type was classified by al-Sakkākī under rhetorical “reversal” (القلب)
al-Ḥarīrī called it: “that which does not change when reversed”
Many later examples are considered forced or unnatural
A scholar (al-Shīrāzī) noted:
This style is rare and difficult
The author concludes:
No clear examples exist in early Arabic speech
It appears to be a unique feature introduced by the Qur’an
Anecdote
A literary exchange:
Someone said:
“Proceed, may the horse not stumble with you” (سِرْ فَلا كَبَا بِكَ الفُرْسُ)
The reply:
“May the elevation of Imād endure” (دامَ عُلا العِماد)
Both contain this reversible rhetorical feature.
His saying تعالى: “And He is the One who created the night and the day…”
This mentions another blessing:
He made the night:
So people may rest in it
And the day:
So they may move about and seek their livelihoods
Sun and Moon
“And the sun and the moon”
Meaning:
He made:
The sun as a sign of the day
The moon as a sign of the night
So that people may know:
Months
Years
Calculation of time
Meaning of the Verse
“Each (كُلّ) — meaning the sun, moon, stars, planets, night, and day — is in an orbit, swimming.”
Meaning:
They all:
Move
Travel swiftly
Like a swimmer in water
As Allah says:
“By those that swim, swimming.”
In Arabic usage:
A horse that stretches its legs while running is also called “swimming” (سابح)
Grammar Note
Why “يَسْبَحُونَ” (they swim) instead of a non-rational form?
Sībawayh’s view:
Since they are described with an action of rational beings (movement, obedience),
They are treated grammatically like rational beings
Al-Farrā’:
Similar explanation
Al-Kisā’ī:
Said it is used this way because it is the end of a verse (rhetorical style)
Another opinion:
The motion actually belongs to the orbit (falak), but is attributed to them
The strongest view:
The celestial bodies themselves move within the orbit
Structure of the Heavens (Classical View)
It was said:
There are seven orbits below the higher heavens:
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Sun
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Then:
8th: sphere of constellations
9th: the greatest encompassing sphere
Meaning of “Falak” (Orbit)
Singular: falak
Plural: aflāk
Meanings include:
Circular path of stars
Anything round or rotating
Linguistic origin:
From rotation (دوران)
Example:
Spindle wheel (فلكة المغزل) due to its circular shape
Statements of Early Scholars
Ibn Zayd:
Orbits are pathways of the sun, moon, and stars between sky and earth
Qatādah:
A circular motion in the sky
Mujāhid:
Like the محور (axis) of a millstone
Al-Ḍaḥḥāk:
The path and speed of movement
Another view:
A contained wave in which celestial bodies move
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