Verse 5 in Chapter Yunus

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
"He is the One who created the sun to glow brightly with multiple colors and the sun to be illuminated. He measured out the moon's stations, so you could keep track of the years and passage of time. God didn't create all of these except for a true purpose, and He explains His verses to people who understand".

I was reading Yaihya Emerick's ''The meaning of the Holy Quran in today's English'', and I came across one of the most insightful reflections on this verse. Look at God's description of the sun in this verse. He uses the Arabic word ''deyaa'' which translates into an English sentence rather than a word. That is because the word in Arabic is actually in the plural form, and as the sun glows over and over, it actually carries distinct colors throughout the day. And the word in Arabic is indicative of these many colors. At sunrise it's easy on the eye then gets so bright later on in the day to where you cannot look near it. 30 mins before sunset you can still see its glow but it's much easier on the eye. At sunset, it is peaceful and encompasses so many colors, you stare at it comfortably without squinting until it sets completely. All that can be derived from the one word ''deyaa''.

Now look at the moon's description, "Noor". Noor means any kind of light shining on something. Thus, the word accurately describes the moon as being lit by something else. Not only that but next God mentions how He measured the moon's stations so we can keep track of time. This falls true till this day and will always be true, as Muslims and people of many other faiths rely solely upon the lunar calendar for keeping track of their days and months. Out of God's mercy, He tracks the moon's phases for us. And that is why He states in the conclusion of this verse that He creates and dows things out of true purpose. And the true purpose of accurately tracking the moon's phases is for us to live comfortably and be able to tell the time with no sweat. Only People who understand can comprehend this fact and concept. May God make us of those who are open minded and who live to understand that all He does is truly for our own benefit!

Fruits prove God's existence

Think about it. Fruits that are naturally covered with an outside layering; apples, bananas, avocados, mango, oranges, etc. Why do they have an outside covering? We do not eat the outside for the most part. And interestingly, cut the outside layer of an apple and let it sit for an hour. Guess what? It turns brown and starts looking old, rotten, and unnatural. Or leave a peeled banana out for just 30 mins, and you will see the same thing happen to it. Same with avocados, mangos and so many other fruits. Why is that you think? Doesn't the way these fruits are perfectly decorated with a protective covering in order to preserve them prove God's existence? Just in the way fruits are preserved with their own layering, that is a sign of God. This reminds me of Surah Al-Rahman (The Merciful), a chapter where God describes in detail His favors on his creation; from speech, to fruits, to land, to sea, to day and night, to gardens, crops, etc. In listening to a talk one day about this beautiful and truly eye-opening chapter, I learned that even the way God protects the fruit with an outside layer is a favor for us. How? Well, besides protecting its taste and purity, it is also a way of gifting us. When you gift your friend, you don't give him/her the gift as it is, but rather you gift wrap it. Thus, these fruits are gift wrapped for us. They are a personal gift for us by our own Creator. Do not look to far to realize God exists. Think about the simple things like these that no body can deny.

Ending of surah Altawba

As I was finishing my memorization of surah Altawba, something hit me. The verse before lasts speaks so beautifully about Prophet Muhammad's characteristics, and his final characteristic is that he is رءوف رحيم, kind and merciful. Upon seeing these 2 words, I recalled that these same 2 words were mentioned recently in this chapter, in fact just a few verses before this one. Looking back at it, I saw that a previous verse did in fact mention the two exact qualities of kindness and mercy (رءوف رحيم), but this time it was not given as the Prophet's characteristic, but rather as the one and only God's characteristic. Look at that specific verse :

[لَّقَد تَّابَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِّنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Allah turned a favor to the Prophet, the Muhajirs (those who migrated to Medina from Makkah), and the Ansar (the 1st believers of Medina),- who followed him in a time of distress, after that the hearts of a part of them had nearly swerved (in faith); but He turned favor to them (also): for He is unto them Most Kind, Most Merciful.]

God talks about how he was merciful to the Prophet and to those who stuck by him in times of hardship. Because of God's kindness to the Prophet, He characterizes Himself with that quality of mercy of kindness. Now going forward to the verse in the end of the Surah, now God speaks of the Prophet and his dealings with his own people:

[لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Now has come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that you may be harmed: ardently anxious is he over you: to the Believers is he most kind and merciful.]

Now God gives that same compassionate quality of رءوف رحيم (kindness and mercy) to His Prophet. Could it not be that out of God's kindness and mercy, which he first spoke of in verse 117, he reflected that same quality unto his dear Prophet in concluding the chapter in verse 128? So out of God's own kindness and mercy, he enveloped his final Prophet with kindness and mercy.

Another interesting fact about the ending of this long chapter Altawba is that God's final last conclusion to His prophet is an actual supplication:
[فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ
But if they turn away, Say: "Allah suffices me: there is no God but He: In Him is my trust,- He is the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme!"]

What a beautiful supplication for the Prophet and for every one of us in fact. God is enough for me. He suffices me. I depend on Him alone. I fully rely on Him alone. In Him I put my total trust and no one else. If we each had that as our motto, embodied in our thoughts, we truly would never feel alone.