Ayah 55:17
رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ
“The Rabb (Lord) of the two Easts and the Rabb (Lord) of the two Wests”.
Al-Mashriq and Al-Maghrib
المَشْرِق (Al-Mashriq) “The east” and المَغْرِب (Al-Maghrib) “The west” are connected to the sunrise and sunset.
The ayah mentions two Easts (الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ) and two Wests (الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ).
Two Worlds
There are two worlds: the world of humans and the world of Jinn.
Ustadh Nu’man suggests that the mention of two Easts and two Wests is perhaps differentiating between the East and West as experienced by humans and the Jinn.
Seasonal Sunrises and Sunsets
The scholars of Tafsir have stated that it refers to the sunrises of the summer and winter and the sunsets of the summer and winter.
Summer: sunrise and sunset
Winter: sunrise and sunset
Human Life and the Seasons
The references to the summer and winter is a reference to seasons which human life depends upon.
At a Glance
“Two Easts” and “Two Wests”.
Two worlds: humans and Jinn; a suggested differentiation in experience (Ustadh Nu’man).
Classical Tafsir: sunrises and sunsets of summer and winter.
Human life depends upon the seasons (summer and winter).