بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ مَثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ ۚ يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
(1. All praise is due to Allah, Fatir of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, two or three or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things.)
Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I did not know what Fatir As-Samawati wal-Ard meant until two bedouins came to me disputing over a well. One of them said to his companion, 'Ana Fatartuha,' meaning, 'I started it.'" Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, also said,
فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
(Fatir of the heavens and the earth,) means, "The Originator of the heavens and the earth." Ad-Dahhak said, "Every time the phrase Fatir As-Samawati wal-Ard is used in the Qur'an, it means the Creator of the heavens and the earth."
جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا
(Who made the angels messengers) means, between Him and His Prophets.
(with wings) means, with which they fly to convey quickly that which they have been commanded to convey.
مَثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ
(two or three or four.) means, among them are some who have two wings, some have three and some who have four. Some have more than that, as stated in the Hadith mentioning that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw Jibril, peace be upon him, on the Night of the Isra' with six hundred wings. Between each pair of wings was a distance like that between the east and the west. Allah says:
يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
(He increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things.) As-Suddi said, "He increases their wings and creates them as He wills."
