سورة الرحمن

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ibn al-Kawwa' said: O Amir al-Mu'minin! I found in the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic that [in one place] He says: بِرَبِّ الْمَشارِقِ وَ الْمَغارِبِ [By the Lord of the easts and the wests], and in another verse He says: رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَیْنِ وَ رَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَیْنِ [Lord of the two easts and Lord of the two wests], and in another verse He says: رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَ الْمَغْرِبِ [Lord of the east and the west]. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Son of al-Kawwa'! May your mother mourn you — this is the east and that is the west. As for His saying رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَیْنِ وَ رَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَیْنِ, it means that the east of winter is different from the east of summer. Do you not recognise this from the nearness and distance of the sun?"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse: رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَیْنِ وَ رَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَیْنِ [Lord of the two easts and Lord of the two wests]. He said: "What is meant by al-Mashriqayn (the two easts) is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him), and what is meant by al-Maghribayn (the two wests) is Hasan (peace be upon him) and Husayn (peace be upon him), and it applies to those two."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The sun has a place of rising and setting in winter, and it has a place of rising and setting in summer, which is different from its place of rising and setting in winter.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَیْنِ وَ رَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَیْنِ [Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests] means the East of winter and the East of summer, and the West of winter and the West of summer.