Az-Zumar 39:6
The Troops · Juz 23 · Page 459
خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٖ وَٰحِدَةٖ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۡهَا زَوۡجَهَا وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ ثَمَٰنِيَةَ أَزۡوَٰجٖۚ يَخۡلُقُكُمۡ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمۡ خَلۡقٗا مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَلۡقٖ فِي ظُلُمَٰتٖ ثَلَٰثٖۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمۡ لَهُ ٱلۡمُلۡكُۖ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصۡرَفُونَ ٦
He created you from one soul. Then He made from it its mate, and He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight mates.1 He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three darknesses.2 That is Allāh, your Lord; to Him belongs dominion. There is no deity except Him, so how are you averted?
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Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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Commentary on 39:5–6
Evidence of the Power and Oneness of Allah
Allah tells us that He is the Creator of what is in the heavens and on earth, and what is between them. He is the Sovereign and Controller alternating the night and day.
يُكَوِّرُ الَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى الَّيْلِ
(He makes the night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night.) means, He has subjugated them and He causes them to alternate without ceasing, each seeking the other rapidly, as He says:
يُغْشِى الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا
(He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly) (7:54). This is the meaning of that which was narrated from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Qatadah, As-Suddi and others.
وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِى لأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى
(And He has subjected the sun and the moon. Each running for an appointed term.) means, for a period of time that is known to Allah, then it will come to an end on the Day of Resurrection.
أَلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ
(Verily, He is the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) means, beside His might, greatness and pride, He is Oft-Forgiving to those who disobey Him but then turn to Him in repentance.
خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ
(He created you (all) from a single person;) means, He created you, with all your varied races, types, languages and colors, from a single soul, who was Adam, peace be upon him.
ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا
(then made from him his wife.) who was Hawwa', peace be upon her. This is like the Ayah:
يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَآءً
(O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created many men and women) (4:1).
وَأَنزَلَ لَكُمْ مِّنَ الاٌّنْعَمِ ثَمَنِيَةَ أَزْوَجٍ
(And He has sent down for you of cattle eight pairs.) means, He has created for you from among the cattles, eight pairs. These are the ones that are mentioned in Surat Al-An`am, eight kinds -- a pair of sheep, a pair of goats, a pair of camels and a pair of oxen.
يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَتِكُمْ
(He creates you in the wombs of your mothers,) means, He forms you in your mothers' wombs.
خَلْقاً مِّن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ
(creation after creation). Everyone of you is originally a Nutfah, then he becomes an `Alaqah, then he becomes a Mudghah, then he is created and becomes flesh and bones and nerves and veins, and the Ruh (soul) is breathed into him, and he becomes another type of creation.
فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَلِقِينَ
(So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators) (23:14).
فِى ظُلُمَتٍ ثَلَثٍ
(in three veils of darkness) means, in the darkness of the womb, the darkness of the placenta which blankets and protects the child, and the darkness of the belly. This was the view of Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Abu Malik, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd.
ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ
(Such is Allah your Lord.) means, the One Who created the heavens and the earth and everything in between, and created you and your forefathers, is the Lord. To Him belong sovereignty and control over all of that.
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ
(La ilaha illa Huwa.) means, no one else should be worshipped except Him alone with no partner or associate.
فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ
(How then are you turned away) means, how can you worship anything besides Him What has happened to your minds
Page 459
39:6
خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٖ وَٰحِدَةٖ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۡهَا زَوۡجَهَا وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ ثَمَٰنِيَةَ أَزۡوَٰجٖۚ يَخۡلُقُكُمۡ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمۡ خَلۡقٗا مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَلۡقٖ فِي ظُلُمَٰتٖ ثَلَٰثٖۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمۡ لَهُ ٱلۡمُلۡكُۖ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصۡرَفُونَ ٦
He created you from one soul. Then He made from it its mate, and He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight mates.1 He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three darknesses.2 That is Allāh, your Lord; to Him belongs dominion. There is no deity except Him, so how are you averted?
39:7
إِن تَكۡفُرُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمۡۖ وَلَا يَرۡضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ ٱلۡكُفۡرَۖ وَإِن تَشۡكُرُواْ يَرۡضَهُ لَكُمۡۗ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٞ وِزۡرَ أُخۡرَىٰۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرۡجِعُكُمۡ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ٧
If you disbelieve - indeed, Allāh is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves [i.e., likes] it for you; and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you about what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
39:8
۞ وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ ضُرّٞ دَعَا رَبَّهُۥ مُنِيبًا إِلَيۡهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُۥ نِعۡمَةٗ مِّنۡهُ نَسِيَ مَا كَانَ يَدۡعُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ مِن قَبۡلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَندَادٗا لِّيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦۚ قُلۡ تَمَتَّعۡ بِكُفۡرِكَ قَلِيلًا إِنَّكَ مِنۡ أَصۡحَٰبِ ٱلنَّارِ ٨
And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Lord, turning to Him [alone]; then when He bestows on him a favor from Himself, he forgets Him whom he called upon before,1 and he attributes to Allāh equals to mislead [people] from His way. Say, "Enjoy your disbelief for a little; indeed, you are of the companions of the Fire."
1 translator’s note
- Or "that for which he called upon Him before." ↩
39:9
أَمَّنۡ هُوَ قَٰنِتٌ ءَانَآءَ ٱلَّيۡلِ سَاجِدٗا وَقَآئِمٗا يَحۡذَرُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةَ وَيَرۡجُواْ رَحۡمَةَ رَبِّهِۦۗ قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِي ٱلَّذِينَ يَعۡلَمُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ ٩
Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.
39:10
قُلۡ يَٰعِبَادِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمۡۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحۡسَنُواْ فِي هَٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٞۗ وَأَرۡضُ ٱللَّهِ وَٰسِعَةٌۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى ٱلصَّٰبِرُونَ أَجۡرَهُم بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٖ ١٠
Say,1 "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allāh is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account [i.e., limit]."
1 translator’s note
- The Prophet (ﷺ) is instructed to say on behalf of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) to His believing servants. ↩
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy