سورة الذاريات

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Hamza al-Thumali narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: In the verse وَ السَّمَاء ذَاتِ الحُبُکِ, what is meant by the heaven is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and what is meant by "woven" (dhat al-hubuk) is Ali (peace be upon him).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Hamza al-Thumali said: I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "What is meant by وَ السَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الحُبُکِ?" He said: "What is meant by the heaven, in the inner meaning of the Quran, is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and what is meant by وَ الحُبُک is Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and he and his household are the very self of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): وَ السَّمَاء ذَاتِ الحُبُکِ — what is meant is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Husayn ibn Khalid said: I asked Imam Rida (peace be upon him) about the verse وَ السَّمَاء ذَاتِ الحُبُکِ. He (peace be upon him) said: "The heaven and the earth are woven together." And to show this, he interlaced the fingers of his two hands. I said: "How can the heaven be woven to the earth, when Allah says: رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَیْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا [He raised the heavens without pillars that you can see] (Ra'd/2)?" He said: "Glory be to Allah! Did He not say بِغَیْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا [without pillars that you can see]?" I said: "Yes." He said: "There are pillars, but you do not see them." I said: "May Allah make me your ransom, how is that?" Then he (peace be upon him), while opening the palm of his left hand and placing his right palm upon it, said: "This is the first earth and this is the first heaven, which is upon it in the form of a dome. The second earth is above the second heaven — the second heaven sits like a dome over it. The third earth is above the second heaven, and the third heaven is a dome above it. The fourth earth is above the third heaven, and the fourth heaven is a dome above it. The fifth earth is above the fourth heaven, and the fifth heaven is a dome above it. The sixth earth is above the fifth heaven, and the sixth heaven is a dome above it. The seventh earth is above the sixth heaven, and the seventh heaven is like a dome above it, and the Throne of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, is above the seventh heaven. This is what Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: اللَّهُ الَّذِی خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا وَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ یَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ بَیْنَهُنَّ [It is Allah who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like of them; the command descends among them] (Talaq/12). As for the Master of the Command (Sahib al-Amr), it is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and the successor after him, standing upon the earth; so indeed the command descends upon him from above the heaven, from between the heavens and the earths." I asked: "So beneath us is only one earth?" He said: "Beneath us is only one earth, and the six are above us."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ibn al-Kawwa asked Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of the words of Allah the Exalted وَ السَّماءِ ذاتِ الْحُبُکِ [I swear by the heaven full of ways]. He (peace be upon him) said: "It is the beautiful creation." He said: "Then what is the galaxy?" He said: "Woe to you! Ask to understand, not to cause distress [out of obstinacy]. Woe to you! Ask about what concerns you and leave what does not concern you." He said: "By Allah! What I asked you about does concern me (I truly asked in order to understand)." He said: "The galaxy is the river of the sky, and the sky was opened from it."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): ذَاتِ الحُبُکِ; it is the possessor of beautiful and lovely ways, and it has been said that it is perfection and adornment itself.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): و السَّمَاء ذَاتِ الحُبُکِ [I swear by the heaven full of ways]; meaning the beauty and stability of the sky.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): What is the meaning of السَّماءِ ذاتِ الحُبُکِ [the heaven full of ways]? He said: "It is the possessor of beautiful creation."