The Quran

Preface

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم ما فِي الأَرضِ وَالفُلكَ تَجري فِي البَحرِ بِأَمرِهِ وَيُمسِكُ السَّماءَ أَن تَقَعَ عَلَى الأَرضِ إِلّا بِإِذنِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنّاسِ لَرَءوفٌ رَحيمٌ

Yusuf Ali

Seest thou not that God has made subject to you (men) all that is on the earth, and the ships that sail¹ through the sea by His Command? He withholds the sky (rain)² from failing on the earth except by His leave: for God is Most Kind and Most Merciful to man.

Land and sea have been made subject to man by God’s command, so that man can develop his life freely on earth.
Sama 'means (1) something high, (2) a roof, a ceiling, (3) the sky, the canopy of heaven, (4) cloud or rain. I understand the last meaning here, though most authorities seem to render it by some such word as “sky”. If we understand rain here, we have a complete picture of the three elements in which man lives-land, air and sea. Rain is also appropriate for mention with God’s kindness and mercy. He regulates the rain for man’s benefit.