21. " o'mankind! worship your lord who created you, and those before
you, so that you may guard yourselves (against evil),"
22. " who has spread out the earth as a resting place for you,and has made
heaven as a canopy, and has sent down water from heaven,
wherewith he brings forth fruits for your sustenance;
so do not set up rivals with allah
while you know."


commentary :
do worship allah!
 
in the former verses, allah describes the statuses of three groups
of people (the righteous, the disbelievers, and the hypocrites), by
explaining that the righteous are inside the circle of the divine
guidance and the qur'an guides them; while the hearts of the
disbelievers are sealed with ignorance and, because of their own deeds,
their eyes are covered with negligence which has taken away their sense
of perception. and, the hypocrites are some ill-hearted people whose
evil actions increase their sickness.

in the verses under discussion, after that vivid comparison, the
path of felicity and salvation is specified as following the path of the
first group, the righteous : " o' mankind! worship your lord who created
you, and those before you, so that you may guard yourselves (against evil),".

what is servitude and worship ?
the word `servitude' in lexicon means : `the condition of
subjection, submissiveness and obedience of a slave to a master'.
worship is the utmost aspect of submissiveness to the one who is at
the highest degree of virtue, kindness, benevolence, and magnanimity.
that is why he has distinctly commanded : "...that you worship none but
him, ..." (sura al-asra, no. 17, verse 23).

the person who has a little understanding can apply his intellect
to know himself and his own lord. when he recognizes himself, the
one who has been considered the most noble creature, he will know his
own lord and cherisher, too. this is a popular tradition that the
person who after knowing himself, would know his lord and cherisher
by that recognition. then, as it is said, the key to the recognition of
allah is the recognition of one's self. when he finds himself in his
servitude and his lord in his divinity, he understands that he should
concentrate his obedience, humility, submissiveness and servitude unto
the one in whose hand and will is his soul and entity; the one from
whom (s.w.t.) he takes sustenance constantly. if the emanation of
existence from the absolute bountiful origin ceased from him even for
a moment, he would be deprived of the bounty of existence.

* * * *
some explanations :

 regarding the above verses, there are some points, here, that
should be paid attention to :

1. the phrase /ya ayyu-han-nas/ ` o' mankind', which occurs twenty
times in the holy qur'an, has a general and collective meaning that
envelops all human beings of any race, tribe, or colour. this clearly
shows that the holy qur'an does not pertain exclusively to a special
group of people, but it invites every single person to its invitation, in
general. it persuades everybody to accept monotheism and refuse any
idolatry and deviation from the path of theism.

2. to invoke the sense of people's thankfulness and to
concentrate their attention on the worshipping of allah, it begins from
the greatest bounty, i.e., the bounty of the creation of all human beings.
it is a bounty that illustrates both the power of allah and his
knowledge, in addition to his `general mercy' and `specific mercy',
because in the creation of man, the best creature in the world of
existence, the signs of his infinite knowledge and power, together with
his vastly distributed bounties, are clearly seen.

the reason that some do not bow before allah and do not
worship him is mostly because they do not contemplate their own
creation and the creation of those who came before them. they do not
take into consideration that it is not right to attribute this magnificent
creation to the blind and deaf causes of nature. we cannot think of
these accurate, reliable and incomparable bounties, which are vividly
seen in the body and the spirit of man, from any origin except allah,
who is the source of all knowledge and power.

therefore, the remembrance of these bounties is both a reason
for theology and a stimulus for thankfulness and worshipping, along the
path of allah.

3. the fruit of this worshipping is piety and righteousness : "...so
that you may guard yourselves (against evil),".

thus, our worshippings and prayers do not add anything to the
dignity and glory of allah, just as the abandoning of them does not
take anything from his greatness and beauty. these kinds of practices
are some training classes to teach man piety, which is synonomous with
having a sense of responsibility, and, the standard of measuring one's
personality. finally, it is worship that causes man to attain the epithet
of being pious, a good mood in the spirit of man, that comes into
being as a result of worship and servitude unto allah.

4. the emphasis on the phrase : `those before you', in the verse,
may refer to the idea that if you agree with the custom of your
ancestors that you should worship idols, allah is the creator of both
you and your ancestors. he is the master and the cherisher of you and
your ancestors both. so, worshipping the idols, either done by you or
by your ancestors, is not anything but aberration.
* * * *
the sky and the earth are bounties

 in the next verse, it points to some other great bounties of allah
that can serve to motivate men to be thankful. at first, it refers to the
creation of the earth and its creator :

" who has spread out the earth as a resting place for you, ...".
 
the earth is like a mount that carries you on its back. it
continues moving at a wonderful speed in space. it has different
movements but you feel no shaking at all. so the earth is one of
allah's great bounties.

another bounty is the gravity of the earth which enables you to
walk, rest, build houses and to prepare gardens, fields, and all kinds of
vehicles, instruments, etc; for your usage. have you ever thought that
if the gravity of earth did not exist, because of its rotation, all of us and
all of our houses and furniture, or, in general, everything on the globe
would be immediately thrown floating into space ?

the term /firasª/ `a resting place' not only has the meaning of rest
and tranquility, but also contains the concept of being pleasant and
warm with a moderate temperature.

it is interesting that, commenting on this verse, ali-ibn-il-husayn,
the fourth imam of the shi`ah school (a.s.), has clearly explained this
meaning, thus : " allah has arranged the earth adapted to your nature and
appropriate for your bodies. he made it neither very hot so that it roasts
you, nor very cold so that it freezes you. he made it neither too aromatic so
much so that its odor hurts your brains, nor too foul-smelling to cause your
death. he planned it neither too soft so that you be drowned in it, like in
water, nor too rigid and stable to enable you to build houses and make
graves to bury the corpses of your men (which cause many disasters when
they remain unburied)... yes, it is for this reason that `he has spread out
the earth as a resting place for you'." 1

the word /bana'/, considering the term /`alaykum/ `above you',
refers to the meaning that the heaven is made up above you like a
canopy. this idea is mentioned in another place in the holy qur'an,
saying: " and we have made the heaven as a canopy well guarded...",
(sura al-anbiya' , no. 21, verse 32).

 this statement may seem amazing to some of those who are
acquainted with the intrinsic structure of the heaven and earth from the
point of modern astronomy. they may ask where and how this canopy
is. does this idea not call to mind the ptolemaic theory which
indicated that planets are set over each other in the sky like the layers
of an onion? the subject will be made clear when the following
explanation is considered.

the term /sama'/ has been used in the qur'an in different places
whose common meaning is something alongside the solution to the
above problem. one of those meanings is referred to in this verse. it is
the very atmosphere around the earth, that is, the thick aerial distance
with a mass of gases that has surrounded the globe whose thickness,
according to what specialists have said, is, roughly speaking, hundreds
of kilometers, though it is not distributed uniformly in the vertical
direction.

if we contemplate the essential and vital function of this mass of
air, generally called the atmosphere, which has enveloped the whole
earth, we will understand how this strong and stable canopy, or ceiling,
is effective in protecting the lives of human beings.

this special amount of air which, as a crystal ceiling, has
surrounded us, the inhabitants of the earth, is so strong and resisting
that in comparison with a steel dam several meters thick, it is stronger;
while it does not hinder the brilliant sunshine, which has a vital, life-
giving and pleasant ray, from reaching us.

if this ceiling were not over us, the earth would be continuously
beaten with showers of celestial meteorites, wherein human beings
would have no peace and calmness. but this several hundred kilometer
thick airy ceiling burns almost all the celestial meteorites before they
reach the surface of the earth, except a few of them which can
sometimes pass through it and fall somewhere on the ground to warn
the earthly living creatures as a ring of danger. this small number of
stones has never succeeded to destroy the security of human lives yet;
except on those occasions that allah used them to destroy previous
generations for their evil deeds.

the atmosphere, a vast and complicated physical system, has a
basic environmental influence on plant, animal, and human life.

one of the references which shows that one of meanings of the
arabic word /sama'/ as `the atmosphere of the earth', is a tradition cited
by the sixth imam, imam sadiq (a.s.) describing the colour of the sky
for one of his followers, mufaddal. he said : "o mufaddal! contemplate
the colour of the sky which allah has created so that it seems blue, a colour
that is the most appropriate for the eyes, and looking at it strengthens the
vision." 2

we all know today that the blue colour of the sky is nothing but
the reflection of sunlight on the intense thick air around the earth.
therefore, the word /sama,/ `sky', here,refers to the very `atmosphere of
the earth'. 3

sura an-nahl, no. 16, verse 29 says : " do they not look at the
birds held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? "
then it refers to rain, thus :

"...and has sent down water from heaven,...".

but, what water! it is a life-giver, an essential producer of vital
energy, and the origin of all inhabited regions containing many material
blessings.

the phrase : " and has sent down water from heaven ", confirms
the fact, once more, that /sama'/, here, means the atmosphere of the
earth. and we know that it is clouds that produce rain and clouds are
the formation of water vapor floating in the air, above the surface of
the earth.

commenting on the bounty of rain coming down from the sky,
ali-ibn-il-husayn, imam sajjad (a.s.), has cited an interesting narration
which says :

" allah has sent down rain from the sky to water the peaks of
mountains, and hills, ditches and, on the whole, all sites high or low
(saturating them completely). he planned for it to rain continually and
gently, with raindrops being individual and separated from each other;
sometimes in the form of drizzles or mistlike, and sometimes in the form of
rainfall, in order to let it go down in the soil and saturate it. he did not let
it fall as a flood which would wash away and destroy the lands, trees, fields
and fruits". 4

then, the qur'an refers to the kinds of fruits and nutritious foods
that are produced because of rain and awarded to men as their
sustenance. it says : "...wherewith he brings forth fruits for your
sustenance;...".

this process of producing fruits is one of the most valuable proofs
of his existence. on one hand, it indicates the vast extent of allah's
mercy unto all human creatures, and on the other hand, it specifies his
power by which, from colourless water, he can create thousands of
colours in fruits and grains whose different properties are useful for
men, as well as other living creatures. hence, immediately after that, it
adds :

"...so do not set up rivals with allah while you know".

verily, you know that these idols, or partners, which are the
creations of your own fancy, have neither created you nor given you
sustenance nor any of your bounties. then, how do you go after those
false gods? do not adopt any equals for allah and be devoted to him
to translate his will into a practical life.
explanation :
idolatry in different forms

it is necessary to note that the false gods are not exclusively
wooden or stone idols, or, for example, recognizing a man such as jesus
christ (a.s.) as one of the trinity, but the concept has a broader scope
of meaning. the false gods may be superstitions, self, or even some
great or glorious things like rank, position, art, poetry, science, or, kinds
of pride which can be the hidden forms of idolatry when they are set up
as rivals to allah. so, in general, knowing anything save allah,
effective in life is a kind of idolatry.

* * * *
a detailed scientific meaning of atmosphere

the qur'anic term /sama'/ `sky', wherefrom the rain, for example,
comes down, sometimes has the meaning of atmosphere, whose
explanation according to some encyclopedias is as follows :

the `atmosphere' is the mass of `air' surrounding the earth to a
distance of several hundred kilometers. it appears insubstantial but in
reality it has enormous mass. it is not simply a formless mass of gases
which can be divided into several layers on the basis of meteorological
and electromagnetic considerations, but it consists, roughly, of three
major layers which differ widely in their characteristics. these layers
are: the troposphere, the stratosphere, and the ionosphere.

the troposphere is the layer of air that lies next to and
immediately above the earth's surface. the height of the troposphere
varies from the poles of the earth to the equator, being about four or
five miles at the poles and about 10 miles at the equator.

stratosphere was the term formerly applied to the entire
atmosphere above the troposphere. later it was found that the
temperature did vary significantly with the height and also that there
existed various stratifications. some scientists have introduced rather
detailed terminology to describe various layers of increasing, decreasing,
and constant temperature in the atmosphere and the ozone layer. but
here the distinction will be made between two layers only : the
 `stratosphere' extending upward from the tropopause to the ionosphere,
and the ionosphere, whose lowest ionized layer is found at a height of
35 to 40 miles.

the standard pressure of the atmosphere (760 millimeters) is very
nearly equal to 1000 000 dynes per square centimeter and is often
referred to as the `bar'. the `millibar' is 1 ì 1000 of this quantity,
sanctioned by the international meteorological conferences as the
standard for the expression of barometric pressure.

if the atmosphere were of uniform density at a standard pressure
of 760 millimeters of mercury and at a temperature of o³c, its height
could easily be calculated based on the weight of a cubic centimeter of
air being 0.0012928 grams. the height of such a uniform atmosphere is
7.99 kilometers (4.97 miles), and is known as the ` height of
homogeneous atmosphere ' conveniently useful in certain physical
computations.

the actual height of the atmosphere is somewhat difficult to
determine since it becomes very tenuous at great heights. we may,
however, infer its extent from three sources : (1) the duration of
twilight which depends upon scattered sunlight from high atmospheric
particles; (2) the height at which meteors become luminous; and (3)
observation of auroral streamers. twilight has been observed to exist
until the sun is about 18³ below the horizon, which, at a latitude of 45³,
indicates the existence of sufficient atmospheric particles to scatter
sunlight at a height of over 60 kilometers (37 miles). meteors have
been observed to become luminous as high as 300 kilometers (186miles).auroral
streamers have been seen to stretch upward to a height of 1100
kilometers (680 miles). it is very difficult to assign an upper limit to the
earth's atmosphere. atmospheric gases in an exceedingly tenuous
condition probably extend hundreds if not thousands of miles above the
earth's surface.

(this piece is extracted, here, from the encyclopedia americana,
vol. 2, p. 508; and encyclopedia international, vol. 2, p. 165).
1 nur-uth-thaqalayn, vol. 1, p.41
2 tauhid-i-mufaddal ( theism), p. 1, (persian version).
3 other meanings of the sky will be dealt with when discussing verse 29
of the current sura.
explanation about the atmosphere, when commenting on verse 22,is helpful,too.
4 nur- uth - thaqalayn,vol.1,p.41