This fascinating and enigmatic book takes the reader on a journey along with its protagonist, Ḥayrān ibn al-Aḍ‘af the Punjabi, through the storms of doubt to the shores of certainty, at the hands of a wise scholar by the name of Abū al-Nūr al-Mawzūn. The book’s author, Sh. Nadīm al-Jisr (d. 1980) – former mufti of Tripoli and Northern Lebanon – has succeeded in presenting the essential matters of faith in a literary style that appeals to the heart, mind and imagination while addressing concerns of the modern seeker of truth. We hope that this work will see the light in translation before long.

The following selection of verses is presented by the shaykh to his student after a good part of the journey has already been traversed, saying:

“The verses of the Qur’an are concerned with a number of purposes: First:  inviting to God and establishing the proofs of His existence, uniqueness, knowledge, power, will, care, mercy, and all other attributes of perfection. Second: promises encouraging good deeds and warnings away from sin. Third: emphasising the coming resurrection and judgement. Fourth: rulings concerning worship and dealings. Fifth: practical wisdom for life. Sixth: promoting the best of morals and manners. Seventh: stories and narratives that reinforce the previous six categories.

“Yet the most important of all of these, and the greatest in the sight of Allah, is the first – because belief in God is the origin and foundation of everything else. That is why, when you turn the pages of the Qur’an, you find these verses guiding us to knowledge of Allah in every chapter, and indeed they may appear repeatedly in a single chapter.”

The shaykh then explains that he is presenting this selection to Ḥayrān (and the readers) of verses that establish these proofs of the divine presence and attributes, guiding us to recognise the wisdom of Allah’s creation. They are ordered according to their time of revelation, “Because I want you to imagine yourself present at their era of revelation so you may appreciate how the guidance unfolded and led the people through these evidences pointing to God. That way, your recitation of the verses will be more effective for your soul, and you will be better placed to grasp the Quranic method of guidance.”

After reciting before his teacher,  Ḥayrān declares that it was as though he had never noticed these verses in his previous readings of the Qur’an, which were mainly for blessings and not for study and reflection. The shaykh advises him not to suffice with reading them a few times; rather, he must internalise them until they become the lens through which he observes the signs scattered throughout Creation.

Below we have presented the Quranic passages (numbering over 150) and added their references, along with translations adapted from Abdullah Yusuf Ali and others. Naturally, translations have their shortcomings and a deeper appreciation of the verses would come from studying works of commentary. As numerous Muslim scholars have advocated a return to the Qur’an to establish and refresh Islamic faith and creed, the following may be considered a contribution to this effort.

“Read!”

اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ

خَلَقَ الإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ

اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الأَكْرَمُ

الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ

عَلَّمَ الإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ

Read! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created; created man, out of a (mere) clot. Read! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not.  (96:1-5)

سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى

الَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ

وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ

وَالَّذِي أَخْرَجَ الْمَرْعَىٰ

فَجَعَلَهُ غُثَاءً أَحْوَىٰ

Glorify the name of thy Guardian-Lord Most High, Who has created, and further, given order and proportion; Who has ordained laws and granted guidance; and Who brings out the (green and luscious) pasture, and then makes it (but) swarthy stubble. (87:1-5)

قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ

اللهُ الصَّمَدُ

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.  (112)

قُتِلَ الإِنسَانُ مَا أَكْفَرَهُ

مِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ

مِن نُّطْفَةٍ خَلَقَهُ فَقَدَّرَهُ

ثُمَّ السَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُ

Woe to man! How he rejects Allah. From what stuff has He created him? From a sperm-drop He has created him, and then moulded him in due proportions; then He makes His path smooth for him.  (80:17-20)

فَلْيَنظُرِ الإِنسَانُ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِهِ

أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا الْمَاءَ صَبًّا

ثُمَّ شَقَقْنَا الأَرْضَ شَقًّا

فَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّا

وَعِنَبًا وَقَضْبًا

وَزَيْتُونًا وَنَخْلا

وَحَدَائِقَ غُلْبًا

وَفَاكِهَةً وَأَبًّا

Then let man look at his food, (and how We provide it): for that We pour forth water in abundance, then We split the earth in fragments, and produce therein corn, and grapes and nutritious plants, and olives and dates, and enclosed gardens, dense with lofty trees, and fruits and fodder. (80:24-31)

وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا

وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلاهَا

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلاهَا

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا

وَالسَّمَاءِ وَمَا بَنَاهَا

وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا

By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour; By the Moon as she follows him; By the Day as it shows up (the Sun’s) glory; By the Night as it conceals it; By the Firmament and its (wonderful) structure; By the Earth and its (wide) expanse: and by the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it.  (91:1-7)

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ

We have certainly created man in the best of stature. (95:4)

أَيَحْسَبُ الإِنسَانُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى

أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةً مِّن مَّنِيٍّ يُمْنَىٰ

ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ

فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالأُنثَىٰ

Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled, (without purpose)? Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (in lowly form)? Then did he become a leech-like clot; then did (Allah) make and fashion (him) in due proportion. And of him He made two sexes, male and female.  (75:36-39)

وَالْمُرْسَلاتِ عُرْفًا

فَالْعَاصِفَاتِ عَصْفًا

وَالنَّاشِرَاتِ نَشْرًا

فَالْفَارِقَاتِ فَرْقًا

فَالْمُلْقِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا

عُذْرًا أَوْ نُذْرًا

By the (winds) sent forth one after another, which then blow violently in tempestuous gusts and scatter (things) far and wide; then separate them, one from another, then spread abroad a message, whether of justification or of warning. (77:1-6)

أَلَمْ نَخْلُقكُّم مِّن مَّاءٍ مَّهِينٍ

فَجَعَلْنَاهُ فِي قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ

إِلَىٰ قَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ الْقَادِرُونَ

وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الأَرْضَ كِفَاتًا

أَحْيَاءً وَأَمْوَاتًا

وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ شَامِخَاتٍ وَأَسْقَيْنَاكُم مَّاءً فُرَاتًا

وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Have We not created you from a fluid (held) despicable? Then We placed it in a place of rest, firmly fixed, for a period (of gestation), determined (according to need). For We do determine (according to need); for We are the best to determine. Ah woe, that Day, to the Rejecters of Truth! Have We not made the earth (as a place) to draw together the living and the dead, and made therein mountains standing firm, lofty (in stature); and provided for you water sweet (and wholesome)? Ah woe, that Day, to the Rejecters of Truth!  (77:20-28)

ق ۚ وَالْقُرْآنِ الْمَجِيدِ

بَلْ عَجِبُوا أَن جَاءَهُم مُّنذِرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَقَالَ الْكَافِرُونَ هَٰذَا شَيْءٌ عَجِيبٌ

أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا ۖ ذَٰلِكَ رَجْعٌ بَعِيدٌ

قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا تَنقُصُ الأَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ ۖ وَعِندَنَا كِتَابٌ حَفِيظٌ

بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فَهُمْ فِي أَمْرٍ مَّرِيجٍ

أَفَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَاهَا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُوجٍ

وَالأَرْضَ مَدَدْنَاهَا وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ

تَبْصِرَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُّنِيبٍ

وَنَزَّلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً مُّبَارَكًا فَأَنبَتْنَا بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ وَحَبَّ الْحَصِيدِ

وَالنَّخْلَ بَاسِقَاتٍ لَّهَا طَلْعٌ نَّضِيدٌ

رِّزْقًا لِّلْعِبَادِ ۖ وَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ الْخُرُوجُ

Qaf: By the Glorious Qur’an. But they wonder that there has come to them a Warner from among themselves. So the Unbelievers say: “This is a remarkable thing! What! When we die and become dust, (shall we live again?) That is a (sort of) return far (from our understanding).” We already know how much of them the earth takes away: with Us is a record guarding (the full account). But they deny the Truth when it comes to them: so they are in a confused state. Do they not look at the sky above them? How We have made it and adorned it, and there are no flaws in it? And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs), to be observed and commemorated by every devotee turning (to Allah). And We send down from the sky rain charted with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and grain for harvests, and tall (and stately) palm-trees, with shoots of fruit-stalks, piled one over another: as sustenance for (Allah’s) Servants. And We give (new) life therewith to land that is dead: thus will be the Resurrection. (50:1-11)

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ

وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ

وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ

Have We not made for him a pair of eyes? And a tongue, and a pair of lips? And shown him the two highways?  (90:8-10)

إِنَّا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَاهُ بِقَدَرٍ

Verily, all things have We created in proportion and measure. (54:49)

إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ أَلا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ ۗ تَبَارَكَ اللهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the throne: He draws the night as a veil over the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command. Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds. (7:54)

وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَقَلَّتْ سَحَابًا ثِقَالا سُقْنَاهُ لِبَلَدٍ مَّيِّتٍ فَأَنزَلْنَا بِهِ الْمَاءَ فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَىٰ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

It is He Who sends the winds like heralds of glad tidings, going before His mercy: when they have carried the heavy-laden clouds, We drive them to a land that is dead, make rain to descend thereon, and produce every kind of harvest therewith: thus shall We raise up the dead: perchance ye may remember. (7:57)

أَوَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللهُ مِن شَيْءٍ

Do they look not to the government of the heavens and the earth and all that Allah has created?… (7:185)

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا

It is He Who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love)… (7:189)

أَيُشْرِكُونَ مَا لا يَخْلُقُ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ

Do they ascribe to Him as partners things that can create nothing, but are themselves created? (7:191)

وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ الأَرْضُ الْمَيْتَةُ أَحْيَيْنَاهَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهَا حَبًّا فَمِنْهُ يَأْكُلُونَ

وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا جَنَّاتٍ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ وَفَجَّرْنَا فِيهَا مِنَ الْعُيُونِ

لِيَأْكُلُوا مِن ثَمَرِهِ وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أَيْدِيهِمْ ۖ أَفَلا يَشْكُرُونَ

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لا يَعْلَمُونَ

وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ اللَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ

وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ

لا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ

A Sign for them is the earth that is dead: We do give it life, and produce grain therefrom, of which you do eat. And We produce therein orchard with date-palms and vines, and We cause springs to gush forth therein: that they may enjoy the fruits of this (artistry). It was not their hands that made this: will they not then give thanks? Glory to Allah, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge. And a Sign for them is the Night: We withdraw therefrom the Day, and behold they are plunged in darkness. The sun runs his course for a period determined for him: that is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing. And the Moon: We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk. It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law). (36:33-40)

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِّمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَا أَنْعَامًا فَهُمْ لَهَا مَالِكُونَ

وَذَلَّلْنَاهَا لَهُمْ فَمِنْهَا رَكُوبُهُمْ وَمِنْهَا يَأْكُلُونَ

وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ وَمَشَارِبُ ۖ أَفَلا يَشْكُرُونَ

See they not that it is We Who have created for them – among the things which Our hands have fashioned – cattle, which are under their dominion? And that We have subjected them to their (use)? Of them some do carry them and some they eat, and they have (other) profits from them (besides), and they get (milk) to drink. Will they not then be grateful? (36:71-73)

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الإِنسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُّبِين

وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلا وَنَسِيَ خَلْقَهُ ۖ قَالَ مَن يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ

قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنشَأَهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الشَّجَرِ الأَخْضَرِ نَارًا فَإِذَا أَنتُم مِّنْهُ تُوقِدُونَ

أَوَلَيْسَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَىٰ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُم ۚ بَلَىٰ وَهُوَ الْخَلَّاقُ الْعَلِيمُ

Does man not see that it is We Who created him from sperm? Yet behold! he (stands forth) as an open adversary! And he makes comparisons for Us, forgetting his own (origin and) Creation: he says, “Who can give life to (dry) bones when they have decomposed?” Say, “He will give them life Who created them for the first time: for He is Well-versed in every kind of creation! The same Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold! ye kindle therewith (your own fires)! Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like thereof? Yea, indeed! for He is the Creator Supreme, of skill and knowledge (infinite)!” (36:77-81)

وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيرًا

…And He created all things, and ordered them in due proportions. (25:2)

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَجَعَلَهُ سَاكِنًا ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا الشَّمْسَ عَلَيْهِ دَلِيلا

ثُمَّ قَبَضْنَاهُ إِلَيْنَا قَبْضًا يَسِيرًا

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا وَالنَّوْمَ سُبَاتًا وَجَعَلَ النَّهَارَ نُشُورًا

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ ۚ وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً طَهُورًا

لِّنُحْيِيَ بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا وَنُسْقِيَهُ مِمَّا خَلَقْنَا أَنْعَامًا وَأَنَاسِيَّ كَثِيرًا

وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَاهُ بَيْنَهُمْ لِيَذَّكَّرُوا فَأَبَىٰ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ إِلا كُفُورًا

Have you not turned your vision to your Lord, how He prolongs the shadow? If He willed, He could make it stationary. Then do We make the sun its guide; then We draw it in towards Ourselves, a contraction by easy stages. And He it is Who makes the Night as a robe for you, and Sleep as repose, and makes the Day (as it were) a Resurrection. And He it is Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His mercy, and We send down pure water from the sky, that with it We may give life to a dead land, and slake the thirst of things We have created, cattle and men in great numbers. And We have distributed the (water) amongst them, in order that they may celebrate (our) praises, but most men are averse (to aught) but (rank) ingratitude. (25:45-50)

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَٰذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَٰذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًا وَحِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا

وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ مِنَ الْمَاءِ بَشَرًا فَجَعَلَهُ نَسَبًا وَصِهْرًا ۗ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ قَدِيرًا

It is He Who has let free the two bodies of flowing water: One palatable and sweet, and the other salt and bitter; yet has He made a barrier between them, a partition that is forbidden to be passed. It is He Who has created man from water: then has He established relationships of lineage and marriage: for your Lord has power (over all things). (25:53-54)

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجًا وَقَمَرًا مُّنِيرًا

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ خِلْفَةً لِّمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُورًا

Blessed is He Who made constellations in the skies, and placed therein a Lamp and a Moon giving light. And it is He Who made the Night and the Day to follow each other, for such as have the will to celebrate His praises or to show their gratitude. (25:61-62)

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللهِ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ هَلْ مِنْ خَالِقٍ غَيْرُ اللهِ يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ ۚ لا إِلَٰهَ إِلا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ

O men! Call to mind the grace of Allah unto you! Is there a creator, other than Allah, to give you sustenance from heaven or earth? There is no god but He: how then are ye deluded away from the Truth? (35:3)

وَاللهُ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ الرِّيَاحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَسُقْنَاهُ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ مَّيِّتٍ فَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ النُّشُورُ

It is Allah Who sends forth the Winds, so that they raise up the Clouds, and We drive them to a land that is dead, and revive the earth therewith after its death: even so (will be) the Resurrection! (35:9)

وَاللهُ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا ۚ وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنثَىٰ وَلا تَضَعُ إِلا بِعِلْمِهِ ۚ وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللهِ يَسِيرٌ

وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْبَحْرَانِ هَٰذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ سَائِغٌ شَرَابُهُ وَهَٰذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ ۖ وَمِن كُلٍّ تَأْكُلُونَ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا وَتَسْتَخْرِجُونَ حِلْيَةً تَلْبَسُونَهَا ۖ وَتَرَى الْفُلْكَ فِيهِ مَوَاخِرَ لِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِن قِطْمِيرٍ

And Allah did create you from dust; then from a sperm-drop; then He made you in pairs. And no female conceives or gives birth but with His knowledge. Nor is a man long-lived granted length of days, nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Decree (ordained). All this is easy to Allah. Nor are the two bodies of flowing water alike: the one palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink; and the other, salt and bitter. Yet from each (kind of water) do you eat flesh, fresh and tender, and you extract ornaments to wear; and you see the ships therein that plough the waves, that you may seek (thus) of the Bounty of Allah that you may be grateful. He merges Night into Day, and he merges Day into Night, and he has subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law): each one runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah your Lord: to Him belongs all Dominion. But those whom you invoke besides Him have not the least power. (35:11-13)

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ ثَمَرَاتٍ مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهَا ۚ وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهَا وَغَرَابِيبُ سُودٌ

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالأَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ۗ إِنَّ اللهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ

See you not that Allah sends down rain from the sky? With it We then bring out produce of various colours. And in the mountains are tracts white and red, of various shades of colour, and black intense in hue. And so amongst men and crawling creatures and cattle, are they of various colours. Only those truly fear Allah, among His servants, who have knowledge: for Allah is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving. (35:27-28)

إِنَّ اللهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ أَن تَزُولا ۚ وَلَئِن زَالَتَا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا

It is Allah Who sustains the heavens and the earth, lest they cease (to function): and if they should fail, there is none – not one – can sustain them thereafter. Verily He is Most Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving. (35:41)

أَوَلا يَذْكُرُ الإِنسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ يَكُ شَيْئًا

Does man not remember that We created him before, while he was nothing? (19:67)

قَالَ فَمَن رَّبُّكُمَا يَا مُوسَىٰ

قَالَ رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ

قَالَ فَمَا بَالُ الْقُرُونِ الأُولَىٰ

قَالَ عِلْمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّي فِي كِتَابٍ ۖ لا يَضِلُّ رَبِّي وَلا يَنسَى

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلا وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّن نَّبَاتٍ شَتَّىٰ

كُلُوا وَارْعَوْا أَنْعَامَكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لأُولِي النُّهَىٰ

(Pharaoh) said: “Who, then, O Moses, is the Lord of you two?” He said: “Our Lord is He Who gave to each (created) thing its form and nature, and further, gave (it) guidance.” (Pharaoh) said: “What then is the condition of previous generations?” He replied: “The knowledge of that is with my Lord, duly recorded: my Lord never errs, nor forgets; He Who has made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels); and has sent down water from the sky.” With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others. Eat (for yourselves) and pasture your cattle: verily, in this are Signs for people endued with understanding. (20:49-54)

نَحْنُ خَلَقْنَاكُمْ فَلَوْلا تُصَدِّقُونَ

أَفَرَأَيْتُم مَّا تُمْنُونَ

أَأَنتُمْ تَخْلُقُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْخَالِقُونَ

We have created you, so why do you not believe? Have you seen that which you emit? Is it you who creates it, or are We the Creator? (56:57-59)

أَفَرَأَيْتُمُ الْمَاءَ الَّذِي تَشْرَبُونَ

أَأَنتُمْ أَنزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنَ الْمُزْنِ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنزِلُونَ

لَوْ نَشَاءُ جَعَلْنَاهُ أُجَاجًا فَلَوْلا تَشْكُرُونَ

أَفَرَأَيْتُمُ النَّارَ الَّتِي تُورُونَ

أَأَنتُمْ أَنشَأْتُمْ شَجَرَتَهَا أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنشِئُونَ

نَحْنُ جَعَلْنَاهَا تَذْكِرَةً وَمَتَاعًا لِّلْمُقْوِينَ

فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ

فَلا أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَاقِعِ النُّجُومِ

وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ

Have you seen the water which you drink? Do you bring it down (in rain) from the cloud or do We? Were it Our will, We could make it salt (and unpalatable): then why do you not give thanks? Have you seen the Fire which you kindle? Is it ye who grow the tree which feeds the fire, or do We grow it? We have made it a memorial (of Our handiwork), and an article of comfort and convenience for the denizens of deserts. Then celebrate with praises the name of thy Lord, the Supreme! Furthermore I call to witness the setting of the Stars: and that is indeed a mighty adjuration if you but knew! (56:68-76)

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الأَرْضِ كَمْ أَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Do they not look at the earth, how many noble things of all kinds We have produced therein? Verily, in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. (26:7-8)

أَمَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ مَّا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُنبِتُوا شَجَرَهَا ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللهِ ۚ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ يَعْدِلُونَ

أَمَّن جَعَلَ الأَرْضَ قَرَارًا وَجَعَلَ خِلالَهَا أَنْهَارًا وَجَعَلَ لَهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَاجِزًا ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ

…Who has created the heavens and the earth, and Who sends you down rain from the sky? Yea, with it We cause to grow well-planted orchards full of beauty of delight: it is not in your power to cause the growth of the trees in them. (Can there be another) god besides Allah? Nay, they are a people who swerve from justice. Or, Who has made the earth firm to live in; made rivers in its midst; set thereon mountains immovable; and made a separating bar between the two bodies of flowing water? (Can there be another) god besides Allah? Nay, most of them know not. (27:60-61)

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ لِيَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

See they not that We have made the Night for them to rest in and the Day to give them light? Verily in this are Signs for any people that believe. (27:86)

وَتَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ ۚ صُنْعَ اللهِ الَّذِي أَتْقَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ۚ إِنَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَفْعَلُونَ

You see the mountains and think them firmly fixed: but they shall pass away as the clouds pass away: (such is) the artistry of Allah, who disposes of all things in perfect order: for he is well acquainted with all that you do. (27:88)

وَرَبُّكَ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيَخْتَارُ

And your Lord creates what He wills and chooses… (28:68)

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللهُ عَلَيْكُمُ اللَّيْلَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِضِيَاءٍ ۖ أَفَلا تَسْمَعُونَ

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللهُ عَلَيْكُمُ النَّهَارَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ ۖ أَفَلا تُبْصِرُونَ

وَمِن رَّحْمَتِهِ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

Say: what do you think, if Allah were to make the night perpetual over you to the Day of Judgement: what god is there other than Allah, who can give you enlightenment? Will you not then hearken? Say: what do you think, if Allah were to make the day perpetual over you to the Day of Judgement: what god is there other than Allah, who can give you a night in which you can rest? Will you not then see? It is out of His Mercy that He has made for you Night and Day, that you may rest therein, and that you may seek of his Grace; and in order that you may be grateful. (28:71-73)

وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِّتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلا

We have made the Night and the Day as two (of Our) Signs: the Sign of the Night have We obscured, while the Sign of the Day We have made to enlighten you, that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the number and count of the years: all things have We explained in detail. (17:12)

رَّبُّكُمُ الَّذِي يُزْجِي لَكُمُ الْفُلْكَ فِي الْبَحْرِ لِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا

Your Lord is He That makes the ship go smoothly for you through the sea, in order that ye may seek of his Bounty. For he is unto you ever Merciful. (17:66)

وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلا

We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation. (17:70)

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلا قَلِيلا

And they ask you (O Muhammad) about the spirit. Say, “The spirit is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little.” (17:85)

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ اللهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلا بِالْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ

إِنَّ فِي اخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ

It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for her, that you might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did Allah create this but in truth and righteousness. (Thus) does He explain His Signs in detail, for those who understand. Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who fear Him. (10:5-6)

قُلْ مَن يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ أَمَّن يَمْلِكُ السَّمْعَ وَالأَبْصَارَ وَمَن يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَمَن يُدَبِّرُ الأَمْرَ ۚ فَسَيَقُولُونَ اللهُ ۚ فَقُلْ أَفَلا تَتَّقُونَ

فَذَٰلِكُمُ اللهُ رَبُّكُمُ الْحَقُّ ۖ فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ الْحَقِّ إِلا الضَّلالُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصْرَفُونَ

Say: “Who is it that sustains you (in life) from the sky and from the earth? Or who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who is it that rules and regulates all affairs?” They will soon say, “Allah”. Say, “Will ye not then show piety (to Him)?” Such is Allah, your real Cherisher and Sustainer: apart from truth, what (remains) but error? How then are you turned away? (10:31-32)

قُلْ هَلْ مِن شُرَكَائِكُم مَّن يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ ۚ قُلِ اللهُ يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ

قُلْ هَلْ مِن شُرَكَائِكُم مَّن يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ ۚ قُلِ اللهُ يَهْدِي لِلْحَقِّ ۗ أَفَمَن يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَن يُتَّبَعَ أَمَّن لا يَهِدِّي إِلا أَن يُهْدَىٰ ۖ فَمَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

وَمَا يَتَّبِعُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ إِلا ظَنًّا ۚ إِنَّ الظَّنَّ لا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ

Say: “Of your ‘partners’, can any originate creation and repeat it?” Say: “It is Allah Who originates creation and repeats it: then how are you deluded away (from the truth)?” Say: “Of your ‘partners’ is there any that can give any guidance towards truth?” Say: “It is Allah Who gives guidance towards truth. Is then He Who gives guidance to truth more worthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unless he is guided? What then is the matter with you, how do you judge?” But most of them follow nothing but fancy: truly fancy can be of no avail against truth. Verily Allah is well aware of all that they do. (10:34-36)

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ

He it is That has made you the night that you may rest therein, and the day to make things visible (to you). Verily in this are signs for those who listen (to His Message). (10:67)

قُلِ انظُرُوا مَاذَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَا تُغْنِي الآيَاتُ وَالنُّذُرُ عَن قَوْمٍ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ

Say: “Behold all that is in the heavens and on earth”; but neither Signs nor Warners profit those who believe not. (10:101)

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الإِنسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ

And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We withdraw it from him, indeed, he is despairing and ungrateful. (11:9)

وَكَأَيِّن مِّنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ

And how many Signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by? Yet they turn (their faces) away from them! (12:105)

وَالأَرْضَ مَدَدْنَاهَا وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَّوْزُونٍ

وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَايِشَ وَمَن لَّسْتُمْ لَهُ بِرَازِقِينَ

وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلا عِندَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ فَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ وَمَا أَنتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ

وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ نُحْيِي وَنُمِيتُ وَنَحْنُ الْوَارِثُونَ

And the earth We have spread out; set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance. And We have provided therein means of subsistence, for you and for those for whom you provide not. And there is not a thing but its (sources and) treasures (inexhaustible) are with Us; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures. And We send the fecundating winds, then cause the rain to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water (in abundance), though ye are not the guardians of its stores. And verily, it is We Who give life, and Who give death: it is We Who remain inheritors (after all else passes away). (15:19-23)

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَانَ مِن صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ

And We did certainly create man out of clay from an altered black mud. (15:26)

وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلا بِالْحَقِّ

And We have not created the heavens and earth and that between them except in truth… (15:85)

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ ۖ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰ أَجَلا ۖ وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى عِندَهُ ۖ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ

Praise be Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and made the darkness and the light. Yet those who reject Faith hold (others) as equal with their Guardian-Lord. He it is created you from clay, and then decreed a stated term (for you). And there is in His presence another determined term; yet you doubt within yourselves! (6:1-2)

وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم

And there is no creature on (or within) the earth or bird that flies with its wings except that they are communities like you… (6:38)

وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ

فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا ۖ قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّي ۖ فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لا أُحِبُّ الآفِلِينَ

فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْقَمَرَ بَازِغًا قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّي ۖ فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَئِن لَّمْ يَهْدِنِي رَبِّي لأَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الضَّالِّينَ

فَلَمَّا رَأَى الشَّمْسَ بَازِغَةً قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّي هَٰذَا أَكْبَرُ ۖ فَلَمَّا أَفَلَتْ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ

إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

Thus did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, that he might (with understanding) have certitude. When the night covered him over, he saw a star. He said: “This is my Lord.” But when it set, he said: “I love not those that set.” When he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: “This is my Lord.” But when the moon set, he said: “Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.” When he saw the sun rising in splendour, he said: “This is my Lord; this is the greatest (of all).” But when the sun set, he said: “O my people! I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah.” As for me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah.” (6:75-79)

إِنَّ اللهَ فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ ۖ يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَمُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللهُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ

فَالِقُ الإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ سَكَنًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ النُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَفْقَهُونَ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا نُّخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُّتَرَاكِبًا وَمِنَ النَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ وَجَنَّاتٍ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ ۗ انظُرُوا إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكُمْ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

It is Allah Who causes the seed-grain and the date-stone to split and sprout. He causes the living to issue from the dead, and He is the One to cause the dead to issue from the living. That is Allah: then how are you deluded? He it is that cleaves the day-break (from the dark): He makes the night for rest and tranquillity, and the sun and moon for the reckoning (of time). Such is the judgement and ordering of (Him), the Exalted in Power, the Omniscient. It is He Who makes the stars (as beacons) for you, that you may guide yourselves, with their help, through the dark spaces of land and sea: We detail Our signs for people who know. It is He Who has produced you from a single person; here is a place of sojourn and a place of departure. We detail Our signs for people who understand. It is He Who sends down rain from the skies: with it We produce vegetation of all kinds: from some We produce green (crops), out of which We produce grain, heaped up (at harvest); out of the date-palm and its sheaths come clusters of dates hanging low and near: and (then there are) gardens of grapes, and olives, and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety). When they begin to bear fruit, feast your eyes with the fruit and the ripeness thereof. Truly, in these things there are signs for people who believe. (6:95-99)

ذَٰلِكُمُ اللهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ لا إِلَٰهَ إِلا هُوَ ۖ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَاعْبُدُوهُ ۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ

لا تُدْرِكُهُ الأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الأَبْصَارَ ۖ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ

That is Allah, your Lord! There is no god but He, the Creator of all things: then worship Him: and He has power to dispose of all affairs. No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things. (6:102-103)

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَ جَنَّاتٍ مَّعْرُوشَاتٍ وَغَيْرَ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَالنَّخْلَ وَالزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ ۚ كُلُوا مِن ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَآتُوا حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ ۖ وَلا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ

وَمِنَ الأَنْعَامِ حَمُولَةً وَفَرْشًا ۚ كُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللهُ وَلا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

It is He Who produces gardens, with trellises and without, and dates, and tilth with produce of all kinds, and olives and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different (in variety): eat of their fruit in their season, but render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered. But waste not by excess: for Allah loves not the wasters. Of the cattle are some for burden and some for meat: eat what Allah has provided for you, and follow not the footsteps of Satan: for he is to you and avowed enemy. (6:141-142)

فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ أَهُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَم مَّنْ خَلَقْنَا ۚ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُم مِّن طِينٍ لازِبٍ

Just ask their opinion: are they the more difficult to create, or the (other) beings We have created? Them have We created out of a sticky clay! (37:11)

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ۖ وَأَلْقَىٰ فِي الأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ ۚ وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ

هَٰذَا خَلْقُ اللهِ فَأَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقَ الَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِ ۚ بَلِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي ضَلالٍ مُّبِينٍ

He created the heavens without any pillars that you can see; He set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and He scattered through it beasts of all kinds. We send down rain from the sky, and produce on the earth every kind of noble creature, in pairs. Such is the Creation of Allah: now show Me what is there that others besides Him have created! Nay, but the transgressors are in manifest error. (31:10-11)

أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً ۗ وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِي اللهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلا هُدًى وَلا كِتَابٍ مُّنِيرٍ

Do you not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made his bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen? Yet there are among men those who dispute about Allah, without knowledge and without guidance, and without an enlightening book! (31:20)

وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

And if all the trees on earth were pens and the ocean (were ink), with seven oceans behind it to add to its (supply), yet would not the words of Allah be exhausted (in the writing): for Allah is Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom. (31:27)

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللهَ يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَأَنَّ اللهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ الْفُلْكَ تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِنِعْمَتِ اللهِ لِيُرِيَكُم مِّنْ آيَاتِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ

Do you not see that Allah merges Night into Day and He merges Day into Night; that He has subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law), each running its course for a term appointed; and that Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do? That is because Allah is the (only) Reality, and because whatever else they invoke besides Him is Falsehood; and because Allah is the Most High, Most Great. Do you not see that the ships sail through the ocean by the Grace of Allah, that He may show you of His Signs? Verily in this are Signs for all who constantly persevere and give thanks. (31:29-31)

وَيَرَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ هُوَ الْحَقَّ وَيَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ

And those who have been given knowledge see that what is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, and it guides to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy. (34:6)

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ يُكَوِّرُ اللَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى اللَّيْلِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۗ أَلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ

خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ ۚ يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ خَلْقًا مِّن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلاثٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ ۖ لا إِلَٰهَ إِلا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصْرَفُونَ

He created the heavens and earth in truth. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running (its course) for a specified term. Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver. He created you (all) from a single person: then created, of like nature, his mate; and he sent down for you eight head of cattle in pairs: He makes you, in the wombs of your mothers, in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness. such is Allah, your Lord and Cherisher: to Him belongs (all) dominion. There is no god but He: then how are you turned away? (39:5-6)

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِي الأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَامًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لأُولِي الأَلْبَابِ

Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and leads it through springs in the earth? Then He causes to grow, therewith, produce of various colours; then it withers: you will see it grow yellow; then He makes it dry up and crumble away. Truly, in this, is a Message of remembrance to people of understanding. (39:21)

اللهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ

لَّهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ۗ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللهِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ

قُلْ أَفَغَيْرَ اللهِ تَأْمُرُونِّي أَعْبُدُ أَيُّهَا الْجَاهِلُونَ

Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth: and those who reject the Signs of Allah, it is they who will be in loss. Say: “Is it someone other than Allah that you order me to worship, O ignorant ones?” (39:62-64)

هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ رِزْقًا ۚ وَمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلا مَن يُنِيبُ

He it is Who shows you his Signs, and sends down sustenance for you from the sky: but only those receive admonition who turn (to Allah). (40:13)

اللهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ اللهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لا يَشْكُرُونَ

ذَٰلِكُمُ اللهُ رَبُّكُمْ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لا إِلَٰهَ إِلا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ

كَذَٰلِكَ يُؤْفَكُ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا بِآيَاتِ اللهِ يَجْحَدُونَ

اللهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ قَرَارًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ فَتَبَارَكَ اللهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

It is Allah Who has made the Night for you, that you may rest therein, and the days as that which helps (you) to see. Verily Allah is full of Grace and Bounty to men: yet most men give no thanks. Such is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of all things, there is no god but He: then how ye are deluded away from the Truth! Thus are deluded those who are wont to reject the Signs of Allah. It is Allah Who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape – and made your shapes beautiful – and has provided for you Sustenance, of things pure and good. Such is Allah your Lord, so Glory to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds! (40:61-64)

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ ثُمَّ لِتَكُونُوا شُيُوخًا ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلِتَبْلُغُوا أَجَلا مُّسَمًّى وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

هُوَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ ۖ فَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

It is He Who has created you from dust then from a sperm-drop, then from a leech-like clot; then does he get you out (into the light) as a child: then lets you (grow and) reach your age of full strength; then lets you become old – though of you there are some who die before – and lets you reach a Term appointed; in order that you may learn wisdom. It is He Who gives life and death; and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it, “Be”, and it is. (40:67-68)

اللهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَنْعَامَ لِتَرْكَبُوا مِنْهَا وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ

وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ وَلِتَبْلُغُوا عَلَيْهَا حَاجَةً فِي صُدُورِكُمْ وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى الْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ

وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ فَأَيَّ آيَاتِ اللهِ تُنكِرُونَ

It is Allah Who made cattle for you, that you may use some for riding and some for food; and there are (other) advantages in them for you (besides); that you may through them attain to any need (there may be) in your hearts; and on them and on ships you are carried. And He shows you (always) His Signs: then which of the Signs of Allah will you deny? (40:79-81)

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ۚ لا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ

Among His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon. Do not prostrate to the sun and the moon, but prostrate to Allah Who created them, if it is Him you wish to serve. (41:37)

سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ

We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness? (41:53)

فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things). (42:11)

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَثَّ فِيهِمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ

And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the living creatures that He has scattered through them… (42:29)

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ الْجَوَارِ فِي الْبَحْرِ كَالأَعْلامِ

إِن يَشَأْ يُسْكِنِ الرِّيحَ فَيَظْلَلْنَ رَوَاكِدَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ

And among His Signs are the ships, smooth-running through the ocean, (tall) as mountains. If it be His will He can still the wind: then would they become motionless on the back of the (ocean). Verily in this are Signs for everyone who patiently perseveres and is grateful. (42:32-33)

وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ خَلَقَهُنَّ الْعَزِيزُ الْعَلِيمُ

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

وَالَّذِي نَزَّلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَنشَرْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ تُخْرَجُونَ

وَالَّذِي خَلَقَ الأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالأَنْعَامِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ

And if you should ask them, “Who has created the heavens and the earth?” they would surely say, “They were created by the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.” (Yea, the same that) has made for you the earth (like a carpet) spread out, and has made for you roads (and channels) therein, in order that ye may find guidance (on the way); That sends down (from time to time) rain from the sky in due measure; and We raise to life therewith a land that is dead; even so will you be raised (from the dead); and Who created the species, all of them, and has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount. (43:9-12)

إِنَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ لآيَاتٍ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

وَفِي خَلْقِكُمْ وَمَا يَبُثُّ مِن دَابَّةٍ آيَاتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ

وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن رِّزْقٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ آيَاتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَ اللهِ وَآيَاتِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ

Verily in the heavens and the earth, are Signs for those who believe. And in the creation of yourselves and the fact that animals are scattered (through the earth), are Signs for those of assured Faith. And in the alternation of Night and Day, and the fact that Allah sends down Sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death, and in the change of the winds, are Signs for those that are wise. Such are the Signs of Allah, which We rehearse to you in Truth; then in what exposition will they believe after (rejecting) Allah and His Signs? (45:3-6)

اللهُ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْبَحْرَ لِتَجْرِيَ الْفُلْكُ فِيهِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

It is Allah Who has subjected the sea to you, that ships may sail through it by His command, that you may seek of his Bounty, and that ye may be grateful. And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the heavens and on earth. Behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who reflect. (45:12-13)

مَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا عَمَّا أُنذِرُوا مُعْرِضُونَ

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُم مَّا تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللهِ أَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقُوا مِنَ الأَرْضِ أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ ۖ ائْتُونِي بِكِتَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِ هَٰذَا أَوْ أَثَارَةٍ مِّنْ عِلْمٍ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

We created not the heavens and the earth and all between them but for just ends, and for a Term Appointed: but those who reject Faith turn away from that whereof they are warned. Say: “Do you see what it is you invoke besides Allah? Show me what it is they have created on earth, or have they a share in the heavens? Bring me a book (revealed) before this, or any remnant of knowledge (you may have), if you are telling the truth! (46:3-4)

وَفِي الأَرْضِ آيَاتٌ لِّلْمُوقِنِينَ

وَفِي أَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ أَفَلا تُبْصِرُونَ

On the earth are signs for those of assured Faith, as also in your own selves: will you not then see?(51:20-21)

وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ

وَالأَرْضَ فَرَشْنَاهَا فَنِعْمَ الْمَاهِدُونَ

وَمِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are (its) expander. And the earth We have spread out, and excellent is the One to prepare. And of all things We created two mates; perhaps you will remember. (51:47-49)

أَفَلا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ

وَإِلَى السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ

وَإِلَى الْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ

وَإِلَى الأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ

Do they not look at the Camels, how they are made? And at the Sky, how it is raised high? And at the Mountains, how they are fixed firm? And at the Earth, how it is spread out? Therefore give warning, for you are only a warner. (88:17-21)

قَالَ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ أَكَفَرْتَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّاكَ رَجُلا

His companion said to him, in the course of the argument with him: “Do you deny Him Who created you out of dust, then out of a sperm-drop, then fashioned you into a man?” (18:37)

قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا

Say: “If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out) the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid.” (18:109)

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ تَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

خَلَقَ الإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُّبِينٌ

وَالأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا ۗ لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ

وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا جَمَالٌ حِينَ تُرِيحُونَ وَحِينَ تَسْرَحُونَ

وَتَحْمِلُ أَثْقَالَكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ لَّمْ تَكُونُوا بَالِغِيهِ إِلا بِشِقِّ الأَنفُسِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

وَالْخَيْلَ وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً ۚ وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لا تَعْلَمُونَ

He has created the heavens and the earth for just ends: far is He above having the partners they ascribe to Him! He has created man from a sperm-drop; and behold this same (man) becomes an open disputer! And cattle He has created for you: from them you derive warmth, and numerous benefits, and of their (meat) you eat. And you have a sense of pride and beauty in them as ye drive them home in the evening, and as you lead them forth to pasture in the morning. And they carry your heavy loads to lands that you could not (otherwise) reach except with souls distressed: for your Lord is indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful. And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use for show; and He has created (other) things of which you have no knowledge. (16:3-8)

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً ۖ لَّكُم مِّنْهُ شَرَابٌ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ

يُنبِتُ لَكُم بِهِ الزَّرْعَ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالنَّخِيلَ وَالأَعْنَابَ وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ وَالنُّجُومُ مُسَخَّرَاتٌ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

وَمَا ذَرَأَ لَكُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ الْبَحْرَ لِتَأْكُلُوا مِنْهُ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا وَتَسْتَخْرِجُوا مِنْهُ حِلْيَةً تَلْبَسُونَهَا وَتَرَى الْفُلْكَ مَوَاخِرَ فِيهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

وَأَلْقَىٰ فِي الأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَأَنْهَارًا وَسُبُلا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

وَعَلامَاتٍ ۚ وَبِالنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

أَفَمَن يَخْلُقُ كَمَن لا يَخْلُقُ ۗ أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللهِ لا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ

وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللهِ لا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ

It is He who sends down rain from the sky: from it you drink, and out of it (grows) the vegetation on which you feed your cattle.With it He produces for you corn, olives, date-palms, grapes and every kind of fruit: verily in this is a sign for those who give thought. He has made subject to you the Night and the Day; the sun and the moon; and the stars are in subjection by His Command: verily in this are Signs for people who are wise. And the things on this earth which He has multiplied in varying colours (and qualities): verily in this is a sign for people who celebrate the praises of Allah (in gratitude). It is He Who has made the sea subject, that you may eat thereof flesh that is fresh and tender, and that you may extract therefrom ornaments to wear; and you see the ships therein that plough the waves, that you may seek (thus) of the bounty of Allah and that you may be grateful. And He has set up on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and rivers and roads; that you may guide yourselves; and marks and sign-posts; and by the stars (people) guide themselves. Is then He Who creates like one that creates not? Will you not receive admonition? If you would count up the favours of Allah, never would you be able to number them: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And Allah knows what you conceal, and what you reveal. Those whom they invoke besides Allah create nothing and are themselves created. (16:10-20)

إِنَّمَا قَوْلُنَا لِشَيْءٍ إِذَا أَرَدْنَاهُ أَن نَّقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

Indeed, Our word to a thing when We intend it is but that We say to it, “Be,” and it is. (16:40)

وَاللهُ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ

وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً ۖ نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِن بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَّبَنًا خَالِصًا سَائِغًا لِّلشَّارِبِينَ

وَمِن ثَمَرَاتِ النَّخِيلِ وَالأَعْنَابِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِنْهُ سَكَرًا وَرِزْقًا حَسَنًا ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ

ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

And Allah sends down rain from the skies, and gives therewith life to the earth after its death: verily in this is a Sign for those who listen. And verily in cattle (too) will ye find an instructive sign. From what is within their bodies between excretions and blood, We produce – for your drink – milk, pure and agreeable to those who drink it. And from the fruit of the date-palm and the vine, you get out wholesome drink and food: behold, in this also is a sign for those who are wise. And your Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees, and in men’s habitations; then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord. There issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for mankind: verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought. (16:65-69)

وَاللهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّن بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالأَبْصَارَ وَالأَفْئِدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ فِي جَوِّ السَّمَاءِ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلا اللهُ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

وَاللهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّن بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّن جُلُودِ الأَنْعَامِ بُيُوتًا تَسْتَخِفُّونَهَا يَوْمَ ظَعْنِكُمْ وَيَوْمَ إِقَامَتِكُمْ ۙ وَمِنْ أَصْوَافِهَا وَأَوْبَارِهَا وَأَشْعَارِهَا أَثَاثًا وَمَتَاعًا إِلَىٰ حِينٍ

وَاللهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّمَّا خَلَقَ ظِلالا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الْجِبَالِ أَكْنَانًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ سَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُمُ الْحَرَّ وَسَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُم بَأْسَكُمْ

It is He Who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when you knew nothing; and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affections: that you may give thanks (to Allah). Do they not look at the birds, held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) Allah. Verily in this are signs for those who believe. It is Allah Who made your habitations homes of rest and quiet for you; and made for you, out of the skins of animals, (tents for) dwellings, which ye find so light (and handy) when ye travel and when you stop (in your travels); and out of their wool, and their soft fibres (between wool and hair), and their hair, rich stuff and articles of convenience (to serve you) for a time. It is Allah Who made out of the things He created, some things to give you shade; of the hills He made some for your shelter; He made you garments to protect you from heat, and coats of mail to protect you from your (enemy in) battle… (16:78-81)

وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا

أَلَمْ تَرَوْا كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللهُ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا

وَجَعَلَ الْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًا وَجَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًا

وَاللهُ أَنبَتَكُم مِّنَ الأَرْضِ نَبَاتًا

ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمْ فِيهَا وَيُخْرِجُكُمْ إِخْرَاجًا

وَاللهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ بِسَاطًا

لِّتَسْلُكُوا مِنْهَا سُبُلا فِجَاجًا

“…While He has created you in diverse stages? Do you not see how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another, and made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp? And Allah has produced you from the earth growing (gradually), and in the End He will return you into the (earth), and raise you forth (again at the Resurrection). And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out), that you may go about therein, in spacious roads.’” (71:14-20)

أَفِي اللهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ

…”Can there be doubt about Allah , Creator of the heavens and earth?”… (14:10)

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللهُ مَثَلا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ

تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا ۗ وَيَضْرِبُ اللهُ الأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ الأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍ

Have you not seen how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens. It brings forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition. And the parable of an evil Word is that of an evil tree: it is torn up by the root from the surface of the earth; it has no stability. (14:24-26)

اللهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْفُلْكَ لِتَجْرِيَ فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الأَنْهَارَ

وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ دَائِبَيْنِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ

It is Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth and sends down rain from the skies, and with it brings out fruits wherewith to feed you; it is He Who has made the ships subject to you, that they may sail through the sea by His command; and the rivers (also) has He made subject to you. And He has made subject to you the sun and the moon, both diligently pursuing their courses; and the night and the day has he (also) made subject to you. (14:32-33)

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ ۖ أَفَلا يُؤْمِنُونَ

وَجَعَلْنَا فِي الأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِهِمْ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجًا سُبُلا لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ سَقْفًا مَّحْفُوظًا ۖ وَهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ

Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? And We have set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them, and We have made therein broad highways (between mountains) for them to pass through, that they may receive Guidance. And We have made the heavens as a canopy well guarded: yet do they turn away from the Signs which these things (point to)! It is He Who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course. (21:30-33)

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَانَ مِن سُلالَةٍ مِّن طِينٍ

ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً فِي قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ

ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ ۚ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ

ثُمَّ إِنَّكُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ

ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَائِقَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَ

وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَسْكَنَّاهُ فِي الأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍ بِهِ لَقَادِرُونَ

فَأَنشَأْنَا لَكُم بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ لَّكُمْ فِيهَا فَوَاكِهُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ

وَشَجَرَةً تَخْرُجُ مِن طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ تَنبُتُ بِالدُّهْنِ وَصِبْغٍ لِّلآكِلِينَ

وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً ۖ نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهَا وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ

وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى الْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ

Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay); then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed; then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create! After that, at length you will die. Then, on the Day of Judgment, will you be raised up. And We have made, above you, seven tracts; and We are never unmindful of (our) Creation. And We send down water from the sky according to (due) measure, and We cause it to soak in the soil; and We certainly are able to drain it off (with ease). With it We grow for you gardens of date-palms and vines: in them you have abundant fruits: and of them you eat (and have enjoyment); also, a tree springing out of Mount Sinai, which produces oil, and relish for those who use it for food. And in cattle (too) you have an instructive example: from within their bodies We produce (milk) for you to drink; there are, in them, (besides) numerous (other) benefits for you; and of their (meat) you eat; and upon them and on ships you are carried. (23:12-22)

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالأَبْصَارَ وَالأَفْئِدَةَ ۚ قَلِيلا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي ذَرَأَكُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَلَهُ اخْتِلافُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ۚ أَفَلا تَعْقِلُونَ

It is He Who has created for you (the faculties of) hearing, sight, feeling and understanding: little thanks it is you give! And He has multiplied you through the earth, and to Him shall ye be gathered back. It is He Who gives life and death, and to Him (is due) the alternation of Night and Day: will you not then understand? (23:78-80)

الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الإِنسَانِ مِن طِينٍ

ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِن سُلالَةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ مَّهِين

ثُمَّ سَوَّاهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِ ۖ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالأَبْصَارَ وَالأَفْئِدَةَ ۚ قَلِيلا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ

He Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay, and made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised: but He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of His spirit. And He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (and understanding): little thanks do you give! (32:7-9)

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا نَسُوقُ الْمَاءَ إِلَى الأَرْضِ الْجُرُزِ فَنُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا تَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ أَنْعَامُهُمْ وَأَنفُسُهُمْ ۖ أَفَلا يُبْصِرُونَ

Have they not seen that We drive the water [in clouds] to barren land and bring forth thereby crops from which their livestock eat and [they] themselves? Then do they not see? (32:27)

أَمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الْخَالِقُونَ

أَمْ خَلَقُوا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ ۚ بَل لا يُوقِنُونَ

Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, they have no firm belief. (52:35-36)

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا ۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِن تَفَاوُتٍ ۖ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍ

ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ

Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion; and He has Power over all things; He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving; He Who created the seven heavens one above another: no want of proportion will you see in the Creation of (Allah) Most Gracious. So turn your vision again: do you see any flaw? Again turn your vision a second time: (your) vision will come back to you dull and discomfited, in a state worn out. (67:1-4)

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ ذَلُولا

It is He Who has made the earth manageable for you… (67:15)

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَافَّاتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ ۚ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلا الرَّحْمَٰنُ

Do they not see the birds above them with wings outspread and (sometimes) folded in? None holds them (aloft) except the Most Merciful… (67:19)

قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالأَبْصَارَ وَالأَفْئِدَةَ ۖ قَلِيلا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ

Say, “It is He who has produced you and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.” (67:23)

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَاؤُكُمْ غَوْرًا فَمَن يَأْتِيكُم بِمَاءٍ مَّعِينٍ

Say, “Have you considered: if your water was to become sunken (into the earth), then who could bring you flowing water?” (67:30)

فَلا أُقْسِمُ بِمَا تُبْصِرُونَ

وَمَا لا تُبْصِرُونَ

So I do swear by what you see, and what you do not see. (69:38-39)

فَلا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ

So I swear by the Lord of (all) risings and settings that indeed We are Able… (70:40)

أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الأَرْضَ مِهَادًا

وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا

وَخَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا

وَجَعَلْنَا نَوْمَكُمْ سُبَاتًا

وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا

وَجَعَلْنَا النَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا

وَبَنَيْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعًا شِدَادًا

وَجَعَلْنَا سِرَاجًا وَهَّاجًا

وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْمُعْصِرَاتِ مَاءً ثَجَّاجًا

لِّنُخْرِجَ بِهِ حَبًّا وَنَبَاتًا

وَجَنَّاتٍ أَلْفَافًا

Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, and the mountains as pegs? And (have We not) created you in pairs, and made your sleep for rest, and made the night as a covering, and made the day as a means of subsistence? And (have We not) built over you the seven firmaments, and placed (therein) a Light of Splendour? And do We not send down from the clouds water in abundance, that We may produce therewith corn and vegetables, and gardens of luxurious growth? (78:6-16)

أَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا

رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا

وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا

وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا

أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا

وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا

What! Are you the more difficult to create, or the heaven (above)? (Allah) has constructed it: on high has He raised its canopy, and He has given it order and perfection. Its night He endows with darkness, and its splendour He brings out (with light). And the earth, moreover, has He extended (to a wide expanse); he draws out therefrom its moisture and its pasture; and the mountains has He firmly fixed. (79:27-32)

يَا أَيُّهَا الإِنسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيم

الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ

فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَّا شَاءَ رَكَّبَكَ

O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous, Who created you, proportioned you, and balanced you? In whatever form He willed has He assembled you. (82:6-8)

أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِم ۗ مَّا خَلَقَ اللهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى

Do they not contemplate within themselves? Allah has not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them except in truth and for a specified term… (30:8)

فَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ حِينَ تُمْسُونَ وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُونَ

وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَعَشِيًّا وَحِينَ تُظْهِرُونَ

يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَيُحْيِي الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ تُخْرَجُونَ

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ إِذَا أَنتُم بَشَرٌ تَنتَشِرُونَ

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّلْعَالِمِينَ

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ مَنَامُكُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَابْتِغَاؤُكُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَيُحْيِي بِهِ الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

So (give) glory to Allah, when you reach eventide and when you rise in the morning. Yea, to Him be praise, in the heavens and on earth; and in the late afternoon and when the day begins to decline. It is He Who brings out the living from the dead, and brings out the dead from the living, and Who gives life to the earth after it is dead: and thus shall you be brought out (from the dead). Among His Signs in this, that He created you from dust; and then, behold: ye are human beings scattered (far and wide)! And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colours: verily in that are Signs for those who know. And among His Signs is the sleep that you take by night and by day, and the quest that you make (for livelihood) out of His Bounty: verily in that are signs for those who hearken. And among His Signs, He shows you the lightning, by way both of fear and of hope, and He sends down rain from the sky and with it gives life to the earth after it is dead: verily in that are Signs for those who are wise. (30:17-24)

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَن يُرْسِلَ الرِّيَاحَ مُبَشِّرَاتٍ وَلِيُذِيقَكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِ وَلِتَجْرِيَ الْفُلْكُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

Among His Signs is this, that He sends the Winds, as heralds of Glad Tidings, giving you a taste of His (Grace and) Mercy; that the ships may sail (majestically) by His Command and that you may seek of His Bounty: in order that you may be grateful. (30:46)

اللهُ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَيَبْسُطُهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ وَيَجْعَلُهُ كِسَفًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلالِهِ ۖ فَإِذَا أَصَابَ بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَمُبْلِسِينَ

فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ آثَارِ رَحْمَتِ اللهِ كَيْفَ يُحْيِي الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

It is Allah Who sends the Winds, and they raise the Clouds: then does He spread them in the sky as He wills, and break them into fragments, until you see rain-drops issue from the midst thereof; then, when He has made them reach such of his servants as He wills, behold: they do rejoice! Even though, before they received (the rain) – just before this – they were dumb with despair! Then contemplate (O man!) the memorials of Allah’s Mercy: how He gives life to the earth after its death. Verily, the same will give life to the dead: for He has power over all things. (30:48-50)

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللهِ فَإِذَا أُوذِيَ فِي اللهِ جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ النَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ اللهِ

Then there are among men such as say, “We believe in Allah”; but when they suffer affliction in (the cause of) Allah, they treat men’s oppression as if it were the Wrath of Allah… (29:10)

قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ۚ ثُمَّ اللهُ يُنشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الآخِرَةَ ۚ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Say: “Travel through the earth and see how Allah did originate creation; so will Allah produce a later creation: for Allah has power over all things.” (29:20)

مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

إِنَّ اللهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

وَتِلْكَ الأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ ۖ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلا الْعَالِمُونَ

The parable of those who take protectors other than Allah is that of the spider, who builds (to itself) a house; but truly the flimsiest of houses is the spider’s house, if they but knew. Verily Allah knows every thing they call upon besides Him: and He is Exalted (in power), Wise. And such are the parables We set forth for mankind, but only those understand them who have knowledge. (29:41-43)

 يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ فَلا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

O mankind, worship your Lord, Who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous; He Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy, and sent down rain from the heavens, and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance. So set not up rivals unto Allah when you know (the truth). (2:21-22)

كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ ۚ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you (back) to life, and then to Him you will be returned? It is He Who created for you all of that which is on the earth; then He directed Himself to the heaven and made them seven heavens, and He is Knowing of all things. (2:28)

بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

The Originator of the heavens and the earth: when He decrees a matter, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is. (2:117)

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن مَّاءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth: (here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise. (2:164)

وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لا يَسْمَعُ إِلا دُعَاءً وَنِدَاءً ۚ صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لا يَعْقِلُونَ

The parable of those who reject Faith is as if one were to shout like a goat-herd, to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries. Deaf, dumb, and blind, they are void of wisdom. (2:171)

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ

They ask thee concerning the crescent moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage… (2:189)

هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِي الأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ ۚ لا إِلَٰهَ إِلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُّحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ ۖ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلا اللهُ ۗ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلا أُولُو الأَلْبَابِ

He it is Who shapes you in the wombs as He pleases; there is no god but He, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. He it is Who has sent down to you the Book: in it are verses fundamental (of established meaning): they are the foundation of the Book; others are ambiguous. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is ambiguous, seeking discord and searching for its hidden meanings; but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: “We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord” – and none will grasp the Message except people of understanding. (3:6-7)

شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَٰهَ إِلا هُوَ وَالْمَلائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ لا إِلَٰهَ إِلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him, as do the angels and people of knowledge – (that He is) maintaining (creation) in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (3:18)

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ ۖ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ ۖ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

Say: “O Allah! Lord of Power (And Rule), You give power to whomever You please, and You strip off power from whomever You please. You endow honour upon whomever You please, and You bring low whomever You please. In Your hand is all good; verily, over all things You have power. You cause the night to gain on the day, and You cause the day to gain on the night; You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living; and You give sustenance to whomever You please without measure.” (3:26-27)

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لأُولِي الأَلْبَابِ

الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلا سُبْحَانَكَ

Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for people of understanding: those who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (saying): “Our Lord! not in vain have You created all this! Glory to You!… (3:190-191)

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً

O mankind, fear your Lord Who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women… (4:1)

يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ

He merges Night into Day, and He merges Day into Night… (57:6)

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللهَ يُحْيِي الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. We have made clear to you the signs; perhaps you will understand. (57:17)

اللهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ۖ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ يُدَبِّرُ الأَمْرَ يُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُم بِلِقَاءِ رَبِّكُمْ تُوقِنُونَ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَارًا ۖ وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ ۖ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

وَفِي الأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَىٰ بِمَاءٍ وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فِي الأُكُلِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see, and is firmly established on the Throne. He has subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law): each one runs (its course) for a term appointed. He regulates all affairs, explaining the signs in detail, that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord. And it is He who spread out the earth, and set thereon mountains standing firm and (flowing) rivers; and fruit of every kind He made in pairs, two and two. He draws the night as a veil over the Day. Behold, verily in these things there are signs for those who consider! And in the earth are tracts (diverse though) neighbouring, and gardens of vines and fields sown with corn, and palm trees – growing out of single roots or otherwise – watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat. Behold, verily in these things there are signs for those who understand! (13:2-4)

هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنشِئُ السَّحَابَ الثِّقَالَ

It is He Who shows you the lightning – by way both of fear and of hope – and Who raises up the clouds, heavy with (fertilising) rain. (13:12)

قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ قُلِ اللهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَاتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ لا يَمْلِكُونَ لأَنفُسِهِمْ نَفْعًا وَلا ضَرًّا ۚ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِي الظُّلُمَاتُ وَالنُّورُ ۗ أَمْ جَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ خَلَقُوا كَخَلْقِهِ فَتَشَابَهَ الْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُلِ اللهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

Say: “Who is the Lord and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth?” Say: “(It is) Allah.” Say: “Do you then take (for worship) protectors other than Him, such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?” Say: “Are the blind equal with those who see? Or the depths of darkness equal with light?” Or do they assign to Allah partners who have created (anything) as He has created, so that the creation seemed to them similar? Say: “Allah is the Creator of all things: He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible.” (13:16)

الرَّحْمَٰنُ

عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ

خَلَقَ الإِنسَانَ

عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ

الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ

The Most Merciful: He taught the Qur’an, created man, (and) taught him eloquence. The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed. (55:1-5)

هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى الإِنسَانِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئًا مَّذْكُورًا

إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا

Has there (not) come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing (even) mentioned? Verily We created man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try him: so We gave him (the gifts of) hearing and sight. (76:1-2)

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللهَ يُزْجِي سَحَابًا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ رُكَامًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلالِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِن بَرَدٍ فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَاءُ ۖ يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرْقِهِ يَذْهَبُ بِالأَبْصَارِ

يُقَلِّبُ اللهُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لأُولِي الأَبْصَارِ

وَاللهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ بَطْنِهِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ أَرْبَعٍ ۚ يَخْلُقُ اللهُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Have you not seen that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a heap? Then will you see rain issue forth from their midst. And He sends down from the sky mountain masses (of clouds) wherein is hail: He strikes therewith whom He pleases and He turns it away from whom He pleases. The vivid flash of its lightning well-nigh blinds the sight! It is Allah Who alternates the Night and the Day: verily in these things is an instructive example for those who have vision. And Allah has created every animal from water: of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills for verily Allah has power over all things. (24:43-45)

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِن كُنتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِّنَ الْبَعْثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِن مُّضْغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِّنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ ۚ وَنُقِرُّ فِي الأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ ۖ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْلا يَعْلَمَ مِن بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا ۚ وَتَرَى الأَرْضَ هَامِدَةً فَإِذَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَأَنبَتَتْ مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّهُ يُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَأَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

O mankind! If you have a doubt about the Resurrection, (consider) that We created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh – partly formed and partly unformed – in order that We may manifest (our power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term, then do We bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that you may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having known (much). (Further), you see the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life): it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs). This is so, because Allah is the Reality: it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who has power over all things. (22:5-6)

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍ ۖ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ ۖ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ

There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see! (22:11)

أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۖ فَإِنَّهَا لا تَعْمَى الأَبْصَارُ وَلَٰكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ

Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not the eyes that go blind, but the hearts which are in the breasts. (22:46)

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللهَ يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَأَنَّ اللهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَتُصْبِحُ الأَرْضُ مُخْضَرَّةً ۗ إِنَّ اللهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ

لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ ۗ وَإِنَّ اللهَ لَهُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي الأَرْضِ وَالْفُلْكَ تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَيُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَن تَقَعَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ إِلا بِإِذْنِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَكَفُورٌ

That is because Allah merges night into day, and He merges day into night, and verily it is Allah Who hears and sees (all things). That is because Allah is the Reality; as for those whom they invoke besides Him, they are but vain falsehood. Verily Allah is He, Most High, Most Great. Do you not observe that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and forthwith the earth becomes clothed with green? For Allah is He Who understands the finest mysteries, and is well-acquainted (with them). To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: for verily Allah, is the One free of all wants, worthy of all praise. Do you not see that Allah has made subject to you all that is on the earth, and the ships that sail through the sea by His Command? He withholds the sky (rain) from falling on the earth except by His leave: for Allah is Most Kind and Most Merciful to man. It is He Who gave you life, will cause you to die, and will again give you life; truly man is a most ungrateful creature! (22:61-66)

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ ۖ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ

مَا قَدَرُوا اللهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ

O mankind! Here is a parable set forth: listen to it. Those on whom, besides Allah, you call, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! And if the fly should snatch away anything from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition! No just estimate have they made of Allah: for Allah is He Who is strong and able to carry out His will. (22:73-74)

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ

He has created the heavens and the earth in just proportions, formed you and perfected your forms: and to Him is the final Goal. (64:3)

The translation of the Arabic Qur’an into the languages of the world has received the broad acceptance of Muslim scholars since the middle of last century, though the practice of translating the whole Qur’an extends back to the sixteenth century or earlier. The original missionary goals were replaced by academic research and the efforts of Muslims to clarify the teachings of their faith, not only for non-Muslims, but also for new generations of believers of foreign tongues. Translation is a particular method of explaining the Quranic text, and can serve as a succinct way of expressing the meanings of its words and sentences.

For a number of pertinent reasons, Muslims make a fundamental distinction between the Qur’an – revealed verbatim in Arabic as a divine challenge – and translations, human renderings of its meanings into other languages. Any product of the human mind is subject not only to the possibility of error, but also the capacity for difference of opinion. Translation of any complex and highly literary text must necessarily be a difficult task, and one in which expert opinions can diverge at various points.

After recognising the particularities of interpreting and translating a divine text (too many to expand on here), the role of choice in the work of a translator is a reality that must also be appreciated. The translator may have to select exactly which text to translate (in this case, between the canonical readings, qirā’āt). On the level of vocabulary, a single word may have multiple meanings, more than one of which may be possible in a particular context. Indeed, it is possible that both meanings are intended, but that no single word in the target language will carry them both. There is also the challenge of observing the subtle distinctions between near-synonyms, e.g. the various words conveying senses of “fear”, even in a single verse.[1]

Then, on the phrasal and sentence level, the translator much decide which grammatical interpretation (iʿrāb) to follow. While the recent Qur’anic Corpus project is performing a valuable service in presenting the concept of grammatical parsing more widely, what may not be obvious from it is the scope for diversity of opinion on this matter, as can be readily seen by consulting the books of iʿrāb and tafsīr. Similarly, the translator needs to decide on the referents of pronouns when they are ambiguous (e.g. between “he”, “He” and “it”), and how to incorporate punctuation such as sentence divisions and speech marks. After all this come the stylistic choices such as how to render idioms, and how the text will best flow in the target language.

Accordingly, we can compare between existing translations of the Qur’an to find that the differences between them fall within the following categories:

• Vocabulary: lexical meanings and subtle distinctions
• Grammar and sentence structure
• Pronouns etc.
• Stylistic choices
• Multiple readings (qirā’āt) – rarely.[2]

What follows is an analysis of a selection of translations of some verses (or parts of verses, as relevant) from the beginning of Sūrat al-Baqarah in order to apply the above theory and discover the bases of difference between them. The method is to group the translations that are substantially identical (i.e. in all but style), and then identify the cause of divergence wherever it exists. It should be emphasised that this analysis will not indicate all the translations that could exist, because it is applied to a finite group (namely, those currently available on Quran.com); moreover, it is possible that translators tended to see things the same way, or indeed were influenced by each other. Indeed, there might be more diversity if they were to rely more pronouncedly on the books of iʿrāb and tafsīr, which present obscure interpretations alongside the more obvious.[3]

As such, what follows is designed to illustrate choice and divergence in translation and enable the reader to appreciate what is involved in the task. It is not intended to be an exhaustive treatment, but contains hints for further study. A subsequent project may be to do the same for the rest of the Qur’an, as well as to look at a greater number of actual translations, and indeed possible translations that were not selected by anyone before. It should also be noted that it is outside our present scope to discuss whether some mistakes were made by the translators, or which of their approaches is best in each case.

Translation Study
(Sūrat al-Baqarah 2:1-20)

2:2       ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ

Sahih International: This is the Book
Muhsin Khan: This is the Book
Yusuf Ali: This is the Book
Pickthall: This is the Scripture

Ghali: That is the Book

Shakir: This Book

Causes of divergence:

• Whether to render literally the demonstrative pronoun usually reserved for distant things (“that”) or consider the distance here as indicating greatness of “this” book.
• Whether to interpret the two words as being a complete nominal sentence (thus with “is”), or together as the subject (“This book”) which is then followed by the predicate.
• Choice between general “book” and the more contextual “scripture”.

2:2       لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ

Sahih International: about which there is no doubt
Ghali: there is no suspicion about it
Muhsin Khan: whereof there is no doubt
Pickthall: whereof there is no doubt

Shakir: there is no doubt in it

Yusuf Ali: This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt

Causes of divergence:

• Whether to render it literally as “in” or understand it as “about”/“whereof”.
• Different sentence structures depending on stopping place. Yusuf Ali’s rendering depends on reading it as ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لا رَيْبَ followed by فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِين – resulting in the Book containing guidance, rather than being guidance. He has adjusted the phrasal order for flow in English.

2:2       هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

Yusuf Ali: in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah

Sahih International: a guidance for those conscious of Allah

Ghali: a guidance to the pious

Pickthall: a guidance unto those who ward off (evil)
Shakir: a guide to those who guard (against evil)

Muhsin Khan: a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun

Causes of divergence:

• Different approaches to rendering the concept of taqwā, including the strategy of retaining the Arabic term.
• The literal “guidance” (verbal noun) or a more contextual “guide” (active participle).
• The different sentence structure used by Yusuf Ali, as explained previously.

2:3       الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ

Sahih International: Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer…
Pickthall: Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship…
Yusuf Ali: Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer…
Shakir: Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer…
Ghali: Who believe in the Unseen, and keep up the prayer…

Muhsin Khan: Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat)…

Cause of divergence:

• Rendering certain Arabic terms as they are. As this is a regular occurrence in Muhsin Khan’s translation (as well as its excessive glosses), it will not be mentioned further.

2:5       أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ

Sahih International: Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord
Muhsin Khan: They are on (true) guidance from their Lord
Yusuf Ali: They are on (true) guidance, from their Lord
Ghali: Those are upon guidance from their Lord

Shakir: These are on a right course from their Lord

Pickthall: These depend on guidance from their Lord

Causes of divergence:

• Renderings of the word hudā, with Shakir perhaps being influenced by its being indefinite here.
• Interpretations of the metaphor of being “upon” guidance. Pickthall has apparently understood that a word was left unmentioned; perhaps this ought to have been placed in parenthesis.

2:5       وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

Sahih International: and it is those who are the successful
Muhsin Khan: and they are the successful
Pickthall: These are the successful
Ghali: and those are they who are the prosperers

Yusuf Ali: and it is these who will prosper
Shakir: and these it is that shall be successful

Cause of divergence:

• Reading the active participle as indicating the present or the future.

2:6       لا يُؤْمِنُونَ

Sahih International: they will not believe
Muhsin Khan: they will not believe
Yusuf Ali: they will not believe
Shakir: …will not believe

Pickthall: they believe not
Ghali: they do not believe

Cause of divergence:

• Reading the imperfect verb as indicating the present or the future.

2:8       وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ

Sahih International: And of the people are some who say, “We believe in Allah and the Last Day”
Yusuf Ali: Of the people there are some who say: “We believe in Allah and the Last Day”
Shakir: And there are some people who say: We believe in Allah and the last day

Muhsin Khan: And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: “We believe in Allah and the Last Day”
Pickthall: And of mankind are some who say: We believe in Allah and the Last Day
Ghali: And of mankind (there) are some who say, “We have believed in Allah and in the Last Day”

Cause of divergence:

• Whether to consider al-nās as referring to a specific number of people, or all mankind. This distinction is significant in certain other verses.
• Here and elsewhere: approaches to the past-tense verb “believed”, often rendered in the present to suit the meaning.

2:10     وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ

Sahih International: and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie
Muhsin Khan: A painful torment is theirs because they used to tell lies
Pickthall: A painful doom is theirs because they lie
Shakir: and they shall have a painful chastisement because they lied
Ghali: and for them is a painful torment for (that) they used to lie

Yusuf Ali: And grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves)

Cause of divergence:

• Taking the verb to apply to the act of lying, or as a mode of behaviour which is the opposite of being true (i.e. sincere).

2:11     قَالُوا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ

Sahih International: they say, “We are but reformers”

Muhsin Khan: they say: “We are only peacemakers”
Pickthall: they say: We are peacemakers only
Yusuf Ali: they say: “Why, we only want to make peace!”
Shakir: they say: We are but peace-makers

Ghali: they say, “Surely we are only doers of righteousness” (i.e. reformers, peacemakers)

Cause of divergence:

• Meanings of the term iṣlāḥ

2:12     أَلا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَٰكِن لا يَشْعُرُونَ

Sahih International: Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not
Muhsin Khan: Verily! They are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not
Yusuf Ali: Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realise (it) not
Shakir: Now surely they themselves are the mischief makers, but they do not perceive
Ghali: Verily, they, (only) they, are surely the corruptors, but they are not aware

Pickthall: Are not they indeed the mischief-makers? But they perceive not

Cause of divergence:

• Interpretation of the opening particle as being interrogative (its origin), rather than emphatic. Similarly in the following verse: “Are not they indeed the foolish?”

2:15     اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ

Sahih International: [But] Allah mocks them…
Muhsin Khan: Allah mocks at them…
Pickthall: Allah (Himself) doth mock them…
Ghali: Allah mocks them…

Shakir: Allah shall pay them back their mockery…
Yusuf Ali: Allah will throw back their mockery on them…

Cause of divergence:

• Taking the verb as being a direct action in the present, or as an expression of the punishment which God will enact on the hypocrites, described with a verb that matches their wicked behaviour to indicate that the punishment will fit the crime in perfect justice and wisdom.

2:17     وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ

Sahih International: and left them in darkness [so] they could not see
Muhsin Khan: and left them in darkness. (So) they could not see
Pickthall: and leaveth them in darkness, where they cannot see

Yusuf Ali: and left them in utter darkness. So they could not see
Shakir: and left them in utter darkness– they do not see

Ghali: and left them in darkness(es) (where) they do not behold (anything)

Cause of divergence:

• The plural form of “darkness” being ignored, treated as an emphasis (“utter”) or rendered literally (“darknesses”) as a new coinage in English.

2:19     أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ

Sahih International: Or [it is] like a rainstorm from the sky
Muhsin Khan: Or like a rainstorm from the sky
Pickthall: Or like a rainstorm from the sky
Yusuf Ali: Or (another similitude) is that of a rain-laden cloud from the sky
Ghali: Or as a cloudburst from the heaven

Shakir: Or like abundant rain from the cloud

Cause of divergence:

• How they understood these two terms and their meanings and relation in the context.

2:20     وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ

Sahih International: And if Allah had willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight
Muhsin Khan: And if Allah willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight
Pickthall: If Allah willed, He could destroy their hearing and their sight
Yusuf Ali: And if Allah willed, He could take away their faculty of hearing and seeing
Shakir: and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have taken away their hearing and their sight

Ghali: and if Allah had so decided, He would indeed have gone away with (i.e., taken away) their hearing and their beholdings (Literally: eyesights)

Causes of divergence:

• The latter translator’s understanding of the literal meaning of the transitive construction dhahaba bihi.
• His attempt to convey the plural nature of abṣār, because the word for hearing (samʿ) occurs in the singular.

 To be continued (God willing)…

The significance of a concept in the Islamic worldview can be grasped by surveying its occurrence in the Qur’an, the peak of divine revelation and the fount of knowledge and guidance. One aspect of such study is to follow the appearance of a certain word in its various contexts, extracting lessons and drawing conclusions.

The concept of brotherhood (and sisterhood) is increasingly discussed in our times as a foundation for human equality, reconciliation and cooperation. Words pertaining to brotherhood (i.e. derivatives of the Arabic root ʾ–kh–w / أ–خ–و) occur in the Qur’an in almost one hundred places. This study looks at these occurrences, beginning with those in their literal meanings, and then outlining the various metaphorical senses in which brotherhood is mentioned. Then there is a specific focus on Islamic brotherhood in faith and the broader concept of brotherhood in humanity, with reference to Islamic scripture and the opinions of Muslim scholars.

1. Quranic Usage

Literal

The word akh, meaning brother, and ukht, sister, literally denote a person with whom one shares either parent or both, or who has suckled from the same wet-nurse. Its plural forms – for a male or mixed group – include ikhwah and ikhwān, brethren. Note: the noun ukhuwwah signifies brotherhood, but as is generally the case with masculine-form words, it similarly encompasses both genders in terms of the sibling relation, whether literal or metaphorical. For convenience, this English term will be used in the remainder of this paper.

The terms brother and sister occur with their literal meanings in several contexts, including the rules of social relations (e.g. 24:61), modest concealment (24:31), inheritance (e.g. 4:176) and marriage (4:23). The latter verse, which prohibits men from certain categories of women in marriage, includes your sisters through nursing, indicating that brotherhood in Qur’anic usage extends to milk-relations as well as blood-relations. Al-Rāghib al-Aṣfahānī counts this as a literal usage when he states: “The brother is one who shares parentage with another from both sides, or one of them, or through suckling”.

The word is also used in a more general sense to indicate relatives of a single generation (e.g. 6:87). The Qur’an cautions against excessive love of one’s relatives, particularly those who actively oppose the religion (e.g. 58:22). Among the horrors of the Day of Resurrection is that a man will flee from his brother, his mother and father, and his wife and children (80:34-36).

In the narratives of past nations, among the most prominent brothers were Mūsā and Hārūn (e.g. 19:53), both prophets, as were Ismāʿīl and Isḥāq (e.g. 4:163) (both sons of Ibrāhīm by different mothers) – peace be upon them. In the chapter containing the story of Prophet Yūsuf (on whom be peace), the term brother is used for siblings sharing both parents, as well as for the paternal half-brother (12:59); it is used for the older sibling as well as the younger (12:77).

Metaphorical

A. Faith community:

This meaning is established by a verse of Surat al-Ḥujurāt (49:10), which says: The believers are but brothers, so reconcile between your brothers; the verse and its implications are addressed in more detail below. In numerous instances, terms of brotherhood are used in the Qur’an to indicate fraternity for the sake of faith, rather than a blood relationship. Muslims are enjoined to supplicate for our brothers who preceded us in faith (59:10), while a provocative image is presented of the backbiter as eating the flesh of his dead brother (49:12).

The fact of brotherhood is tied to the importance of reconciliation in places other than the verse quoted above. A verse of Sūrat al-Baqarah (2:178), while encouraging the acceptance of blood-money in lieu of retribution for murder, refers to the guardian of the murdered party as his brother, i.e. that of the murderer, thus reminding both parties of the bonds of faith that tie them. The specific expression brothers in religion occurs in the context of anti-Islamic militants repenting and embracing Islam (9:11), as well as that of adoption (33:5).

B. Association and shared attributes:

Another metaphorical usage of brotherhood is as a similarity or association based on shared attributes, whether positive or negative.

Discussing the significance of Maryam, mother of Prophet ‘Īsā – peace be on them – being addressed by her people as sister of Hārūn (19:28), exegetes have advanced various views. Ibn Kathīr (d. 774/1373) states that the reference is to the Prophet Harūn (Aaron), peace be upon him, and that her description as his “sister” is purely in the sense of being similarly devoted to worship. He also quotes the opinion that “she was from his descendants, as someone from the tribe of Tamīm would be addressed: O brother of Tamīm”. Another possibility is that the Hārūn referred to was a contemporary of hers, or even her actual brother. This is supported by the hadith in which the Prophet – blessings and peace be upon him – responded to a criticism of this verse posed by the Christians of Najrān, saying: “They used to name their children after the Prophets and righteous people before them” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim).

At the opposite end of the spectrum of virtue and vice, squanderers of wealth are described as brothers of the devils (17:27). Brotherhood between devils and humans – the polytheists – is also established in another verse (7:202), in the sense of being allies to one another. The unbelievers are brothers to one another (3:156), while the hypocrites (munāfiqūn) are brothers of the unbelievers (59:11) – including the People of Scripture – due to their surreptitious rejection of faith.

Yet Allah – Most High – still ascribes brotherhood, in a more literal sense, between the martyrs of the Battle of Uḥud and the hypocrites from among their tribesmen who stayed behind (Q 3:167-8; see Ibn ʿĀshūr). This point has significance in responding to those who go so far as to consider difference in religion as nullifying natural bonds of blood.

C. Daʿwah community:

A further usage of the term brother occurs in the context of the mission of the Prophets to their people. In Sūrat al-Aʿrāf, the accounts of various Messengers are opened as follows: To (the tribe of) ʿĀd, (We sent) their brother Hūd (7:65), To Thamūd, their brother Ṣāliḥ (7:73) and To Madyan, their brother Shuʿayb (7:85). Similar is said of the Prophets Nūḥ and Lūṭ (26:106, 161) – may blessings and peace from Allah be upon them all.

One verse (50:13) mentions the brothers of Lūṭ, referring to the people he was sent to reform, particularly their majority who were destroyed for their evil deeds. Since Prophet Lūṭ, nephew of Prophet Ibrāhīm (peace be upon them), was not related to that Canaanite community, the term here merely refers to his having “lived in their lands, dwelt among them, allied with them and supported them” (Ibn ʿĀshūr).

The Prophets are described as the brothers of their people to emphasise their sincere concern for their well-being, “having compassion like the compassion of one brother for another” (al-Rāghib). This is in addition to the possibility of a literal relation being intended in certain cases, such as the Prophet Hūd being referred to simply as the brother of ʿĀd in Q 46:21. It is also of note that the Prophets are brothers to one another, as mentioned in the hadith in Bukhārī: “The Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.”

D. Other

The inhabitants of Paradise are made to be brothers, facing each other on thrones (15:47), meaning that they live in perfect harmony after all traces of rancour are removed from their hearts (Ibn Kathīr).

The word for “sister” occurs twice in the very non-literal sense of “fellow, predecessor” (the operative word being feminine in each): Every time a nation (ummah) enters [the Fire], it curses its ukht (7:38); We showed them no sign (āyah) but that it was greater than its ukht (43:48). Commenting on the latter usage, Al-Samīn al-Ḥalabī (d. 756/1355) said: “Each new sign is described as the sister of the one before because it shares its qualities of truth and clarity. It means that they all share in greatness, the difference between them being slight, as is normally the case between siblings who are close to one another in virtue.”

2. Brotherhood in Faith

As mentioned previously, one of the key meanings of brotherhood in Quranic discourse is the bond that unites one Muslim believer with another, irrespective of tribal or national affiliations or boundaries.

Thus it is closely allied to the concept of the Ummah, the global nation of Islam, and the call to brotherhood is a call to unity: And hold fast to the rope of Allah, all together, and be not divided. And remember the grace of Allah upon you in that you were enemies, then He joined your hearts so you became, by His grace, brothers… (Q 3:103) The believing men and women are described in another verse (9:71) as being loyal, protecting friends (awliyāʾ) to one another.

Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt (49) contains numerous guidelines and directives for a successful society built upon brotherhood in faith, encompassing faithfulness, morality, respectful behaviour, establishing facts, and reconciliation between disputing parties. Its key statement concerning brotherhood is that The believers are but brothers; so reconcile between your (two) brothers and fear Allah, that you may receive mercy. (49:10) The majority reading (qirāʾah) has it as your (two) brothers in the dual, while that of Yaʿqūb al-Ḥaḍramī has it in the plural (respectively: bayna akhawaykum / ikhwatikum). Both are canonical readings and the implications are the same.

The surah goes on to outline an ethical framework through which fraternal harmony is achieved and maintained: the prohibition of insulting and ridiculing one another or using offensive nicknames (49:11); the prohibition of spying and undue suspicion, and of backbiting (49:12); and establishing the sole criterion favouring one human being over another as being his or her piety and God-consciousness (49:13).

In his commentary upon this last verse, Sayyid Quṭb (d. 1966) wrote: “Colour, race, language, homeland and similar factors are of no importance in God’s sight. There is only one criterion to determine people’s worth… Noble indeed is the one who is noble in God’s sight… This is the banner raised by Islam in order to save humanity from the evil consequences of fanatic bonds of race, homeland, tribe, clan, family etc.”

The Prophetic Sunnah is replete with examples of brotherhood in action, as well as teachings regarding its principles. The arrival of the Prophet – may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him – to Madinah heralded the end of the internecine warfare between the Aws and Khazraj tribes, who would henceforth be known collectively as the Anṣār (supporters). They played the role of welcoming the Muhājirūn (emigrants) to their city, even to the extent of preferring them over themselves (see Q 59:9). The Prophet established the fraternal system known as al-muʾākhāh. Moreover, non-Arabs and others customarily marginalised from society, such as slaves, were now integrated fully within the spirit of Islamic brotherhood.

Among the many sayings of the Prophet (on whom be peace) that elaborate on brotherly relations is the following: “Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not shun one another; and do not undercut one another in transactions; but be servants of Allah, brothers. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not wrong him, let him down or look down on him. Piety is here (pointing to his chest three times). It is evil enough for a Muslim to hold his brother-Muslim in contempt. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

Another highly expressive hadith states: “The believers, in their mutual love, mercy and compassion, are like a (single) body: if one part of it feels pain, the rest of the body joins it in wakefulness and fever.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

Duties of Brotherhood in the Ethics Literature

The literature pertaining to Islamic akhlāq and ādāb (character and etiquette) is replete with guidance for proper interaction between Muslims. Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111), in his Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn, termed these as “general rights of brotherhood”. In addition, he listed eight “personal rights” to be observed in the contractual relationship of brotherhood, which he likened to the contract of marriage. We summarise these duties of brotherhood by way of illustration:

1. Material assistance: the lowest rank is to give assistance to a brother from one’s excess wealth, while the highest is to prefer him to one’s own self. If the brother has to request assistance, then even the lowest rank has not been achieved. Al-Ghazālī quotes a number of reports indicating that the righteous people of the past would treat their brothers as joint owners of their property. He quotes Q 24:61 in this connection, in that it includes permission to eat in homes whereof you hold keys.
2. Personal aid: this is to strive to render assistance other than the financial, as the Qur’an describes the believers as being merciful among themselves (48:29).
3. Holding the tongue: this is to refrain from any speech that would harm one’s brother, such as betraying his secrets, broadcasting his faults or quarrelling with him. It also means to think the best of one’s brother, realising that every human being has flaws.
4. Speaking up: this is to use the tongue to express words of affection as well as advising one’s brother and defending him from slander.
5. Forgiveness: this is to overlook another person’s failings with respect to the contract of brotherhood, and if they err in the matter of religion and morality, to encourage them gently back to the straight path.
6. Prayer: it is a duty to invoke the Almighty on behalf of one’s brother in all matters pertaining to his life and afterlife. The blessed Prophet, may blessings and peace from Allah be upon him, said: “There is no Muslim who invokes Allah for his brother in his absence, except that the angel says: ‘And for you be the like thereof.’” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
7. Loyalty and sincerity: this means basing the relationship on sincere love for the sake of Allah, which lasts even if circumstances change. It has many signs and effects, even to the extent of caring for the brother’s relatives and friends after his death.
8. Informality: this is to live with a humble attitude free from affectation, neither over-burdening one’s brother nor feeling hesitant to express one’s own needs and opinions.

3. Brotherhood in Humanity

Reference is made by numerous scholars, in recent times particularly, to the concept of “brotherhood in humanity”. The Qur’anic basis for this concept is the repeated emphasis on the shared parentage of the entire human race, as in the verse mentioned previously: O mankind, indeed We created you from a (single) male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Truly the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you. (49:13)

Similarly, in the hadith of Allah’s final Messenger, peace be upon him: “Allah has rid you of the disgrace of Jāhiliyyah and its boasting about ancestry. (One is only) a pious believer or a miserable sinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was from dust.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī)

In addition, various metaphorical uses of the term in the Qur’an, as outlined above, provide support for this concept. The meaning of shared attributes is relevant to a description of all human beings as brothers and sisters in humanity. Moreover, the implication that the Prophets – on whom be peace – displayed fraternal compassion for the people they invited to Islam is relevant to the role of Muslims in the wider world today.

Commenting on the hadith of al-Bukhārī and Muslim: “None of you (truly) believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself”, Yaḥyā b. Sharaf al-Nawawī (d. 676/1278) states: “It is best to interpret this as the broadest sense of brotherhood, such that it encompasses both non-Muslims and Muslims.” On this understanding of the hadith, as supported by other texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah, Islam promotes the empathy principle widely known as the “Golden Rule”.

Even a term like ummah, while generally designating the Muslim community worldwide, can have broader meanings since the word means any group bound by common features, such as faith, location or era. The document created by the Prophet Muḥammad on his arrival at Madinah – described by Muhammad Hamidullah (d. 2002) as “the first written constitution in the world” – included in its articles: “The Jews who agree to this document are one ummah with the believers. The Jews have their religion (dīn), and the Muslims theirs.” More broadly, scholars have described all people after Muḥammad (on whom be blessings on peace) as being his nation, in the sense that they are the ones invited to his call (ummat al-daʿwah). As for the Muslims, they are the subset of those who respond (ummat al-ijābah).

According to Maḥmūd Shaltūt, former Grand Imam of al-Azhar (d. 1963): “If the non-Muslims maintain the state of peace, then they and the Muslims are, in the sight of Islam, brothers in humanity (ikhwān fī al-insāniyyah) cooperating for the common good. Each has his religion to which he invites with wisdom and fair preaching, without harming anyone or depriving him of his rights.” His intent was to underline the essential principle, not to make the fact of brotherhood contingent on a state of peace.

Dr. Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī, renowned Azharite and president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, considers the call to a world of human cooperation to be one of the essential purposes of the Quranic revelation. In his Kayfa nataʿāmal maʿ al-qurʾān, he states: “Among the fruits of the tawḥīd that Islam calls to is human brotherhood (ukhuwwah bashariyyah), which entails equality between human beings. This brotherhood is built on two bases. First: that all people – according to the monotheistic message – are servants of one Lord who created and fashioned them; and second: that they are all children of one father, Adam, however much they may differ in terms of geography, colour, language or class. That is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) conveyed to the Ummah at the Farewell Pilgrimage, when he addressed them saying: ‘O people, your Lord is one, and your father is one. All of you are from Adam, and Adam was from dust. An Arab is not superior to a non-Arab, nor a white man over a black man, except by taqwā (God-consciousness and piety).’”[1]

On a television programme entitled Mafāhīm, Mauritanian scholar Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Dedew told the interviewer: “You may call a non-Muslim ‘brother’ because he is a brother to you in humanity, being a descendant of Adam just like you. There is brotherhood of religion (dīn) and brotherhood of clay (ṭīn): the former is higher in status, but the latter also exists and there is no escaping that.”

In short, a Muslim has a duty to his brother-human and especially his neighbour, including well-wishing, kind treatment and sharing the message of Islam; and he has an additional set of duties to his brother-Muslim as detailed in the Qur’an, Sunnah and Islamic tradition.

References:

• ʿAbd al-Bāqī, Muḥammad Fuʾād. al-Muʿjam al-mufahras li-alfāẓ al-qurʾān al-karīm. Tehran: Avand Danesh, undated.
• Ḥawwā, Saʿīd. Selected Writings on Purifying the Soul (al-Mustakhlaṣ fī tazkiyat al-anfus). Summarised from the Iḥyā’ of al-Ghazālī; trans. Ibrahīm Maʿrūf. Cairo: Dar Al-Salam, 2005.
• Ibn ʿĀshūr, Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir. Tafsīr al-taḥrīr wal-tanwīr. 12 vols. Tunis: Dar Suḥnūn, undated.
• Ibn Kathīr, Ismāʿīl Abū al-Fidāʾ. Tafsīr al-qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm. 4 vols. Riyadh: Maktaba Dār al-Salām and Beirut: Dār al-Fayḥāʾ, 1994.
• Ibn Abī Maryam, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Nasr b. ʿAlī al-Shīrāzī. al-Muwaḍḍaḥ fī wujūh al-qirāʾāt wa ʿilalihā. Ed. ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Ṭarhūnī. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 2009.
• al-Nawawī, Yaḥyā b. Sharaf. al-Arbaʿūn al-nawawiyyah.
• al-Qaraḍāwī, Yūsuf. Kayfa nataʿāmal maʿ al-qurʾān. Cairo: Dār al-Shurūq, 2000.
• Quṭb, Sayyid. In the Shade of the Qur’an (Fī ẓilāl al-qurʾān). 18 vols. Trans. Adil Salahi. Leicester: Islamic Foundation, 2003 onwards.
• al-Rāghib al-Aṣfahānī, Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad. al-Mufradāt fī gharīb al-qurʾān. Ed. Muḥammad Khalīl ʿĪtānī. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifah, 2007.
• Saeed, Sohaib. The Golden Rule: An Islamic-Dialogic Perspective. Published at dialogic.ws, 2010.
• al-Samīn al-Ḥalabī, Aḥmad b. Yūsuf. ʿUmdat al-ḥuffāẓ fī tafsīr ashraf al-alfāẓ. 4 vols. Ed. Muḥammad al-Tūnjī. Beirut: ʿĀlam al-kutub, 1993.
• Shaltūt, Maḥmūd. al-Islam ʿaqīda wa sharīʿa. Cairo: Dār al-Shurūq, 1985.
• al-ʿUmarī, Akram Ḍiyāʾ. Madinan Society at the Time of the Prophet. IIPH & IIIT, 1995.

It is a common practice of Muslim scholars writing on some field of knowledge to define its basic terms; when it comes to Arabic words, this involves looking at their root meanings as well as their usage. This practice is certainly useful when seeking to understand Islam as a faith and way of life, as there are many things to learn from the very fact that it is so named. Generally speaking, when naming something new, or a new addition to the family, we choose a name that reflects the appropriate and desired meanings.

In this article, we shall explore five significant features of the name Islam, making special reference to how the Qur’an speaks of Islam and being Muslim. We shall note that the word reflects the concept of peace, that it is a name used right from the start, that it was specially chosen by the Creator, that it reflects an action and way of life, and that it has a universal meaning and appeal.

A Meaning of Peace

The root S-L-M, from which the word Islam derives, has the essential meaning of being free of any flaws or harmful things. Thus the derivatives of this root include salāmah which indicates soundness and safety, and of course salām which means “peace”. The verb-form islām (usually written in English without any diacritical marks) thus conveys entering into a state of peace and security; in short, this is what we refer to as “submission”. The active participle of the verb, i.e. the word for “submitter”, is muslim.

It may not be clear how important it is to look at the three-letter root of a word to understand its import, but this is something significant in the Arabic language. At the same time, it may seem like an exaggeration to state, as Muslims often do, that “Islam means peace”. Some critics point out that submission is not the same as peace, and some go further and suggest that submission is something undesirable.

In fact, the Qur’an uses a number of different terms to refer to this religion, and one of them is the word Peace itself. In the second chapter (Al-Baqarah 2:102), God says: “O you who believe, enter into al-silm completely and do not follow the footsteps of Satan.” This noun means “security, safety and leaving off war” (the opposite of war is peace) and is used here as an exact equivalent to saying “Islam”, according to commentators. This means that our religion is indeed called Peace, just as it is called Submission and numerous other secondary names.

Islam is not only “a religion of peace”: it is the religion of life, which means that it provides guidance for all situations that arise in our troubled world. Yet even aggression is to be met with high virtues in the pursuit of peace. The goal is not to “make the world submit”, as some misunderstand, but to invite each soul to its own wilful surrender to the Creator alone, not to any human force or worldly desire. This is the true source of inner and outer peace, and is the most liberating concept ever taught to humanity.

As well as attention to linguistic roots, we also must differentiate between the general meanings of a word, and its technical meaning in context. In this case, the difference is between what we may describe as “small-i islam” which means to live a life submitted to God, and “big-I Islam” which is the well-known religion, whose adherents declare that “There is none to be worshipped but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” This declaration is what entitles a person to be known as a (“big-M”) Muslim, a member of the worldwide community of Islam. Of course, the Arabic language does not have capital letters, so what we really intend is to distinguish between submission as a religious ideal in general, and its usage as a proper noun – or what philosophers call its “reified” meaning.

When we look at the numerous references to “Islam” in the Qur’an, some could be understood in both ways, but others clearly show that Allah has chosen this name for His religion and named those who follow it “Muslims” (submitters).

A Historical Name

Almighty God declares in the Qur’an that all of creation is submitted to Him (see Āl `Imrān 3:83) and that He, being the only true Deity, is the One to Whom human submission is due (Al-Ḥajj 22:34). The best religion is to submit one’s face to God and do good (Al-Mā’idah 4:125). The same term appears frequently in the stories of the Prophets, from which we shall mention a few examples.

The patriarch Abraham (on whom be peace) is declared as having been neither Jewish nor Christian, but in fact upright in religion, a Muslim (Āl `Imrān 3:67). When he was commanded to submit, he said immediately: “I have submitted myself to the Lord of the Worlds” (Al-Baqarah 2:131). When he was called upon to sacrifice his first-born son Ishmael, they both submitted to this divine command (As-Ṣāffāt 37:103), until Allah announced that they had passed the test. When building the Sacred Mosque in Makkah, they prayed together that God would raise up from their descendants a Muslim nation (Al-Baqarah 2:128).

The prophets after Abraham are described as those who submitted (Al-Mā’idah 5:44), which of course does not deprive those before him of the same virtue. Prophet Jacob (on whom be peace) entrusted his children on his deathbed that they must follow the religion of their forefathers Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac (peace be upon them) and not die except as Muslims (Al-Baqarah 2:133).

The Pharaoh who opposed Moses (on whom be peace) vainly declared at the moment of death that he believed in the God of Israel and was “one of the Muslims” (Yūnus 10:90). The disciples of Jesus (on whom be peace) were inspired to believe, so they did so, saying: “Bear witness that we are Muslims.” (Al-Mā’idah 5:111)

All of this goes to show that the “Religion of Submission” (dīn al-islām) is both grounded in nature and rooted in history. As for its usage in the context of the last chapter of prophethood, we find a number of relevant passages in the Qur’an:

{Truly the religion in the sight of God is Islam…} (Āl `Imrān 3:19)

{Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him and he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter.} (Āl `Imrān 3:85)

{…This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My favours upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your way of life…} (Al-Mā’idah 5:3)

{He it is Who named you Muslims before and in this (Qur’an)…} (Al-Ḥajj 22:78)

{Who is better in speech than one who invites to God, works righteousness and says, ‘I am of the Muslims’?} (Fuṣṣilat 41:33)

A Divine Gift

One may question what the relevance is of showing that the Qur’an is the source for the name used by Muslims everywhere today in reference to their own identity and way of life, in addition to showing its history on the tongues of prophethood. The fact is that a name is an essential component to identity, and so one should take pride in the virtues embodied in a name that was chosen by the Creator.

The names of certain modern religions were chosen by their human founders, while the older religions tend to have more mystery surrounding the origin of their names. We also find names that were coined by people external to the tradition. New Testament passages suggest that the first people to use the word “Christian” (or rather, its original-language version) were the religion’s critics, but then the term became used by its followers as a badge of honour.[1] Followers of Muhammad (on whom be peace) have also had various unwanted labels attached to them, yet none of these was adopted by Muslims in preference to their original name. For example, the word “Mohammedan” suggests worship of Muhammad in the way that Christians worship the Christ.

Furthermore, while it cannot be correctly said that Jesus was a Christian – or that Jesus or Moses (peace be upon them) taught Christians and Jews to use these names – it is the case that Muhammad (on whom be peace) was indeed a Muslim submitted to God, thus providing the perfect example of a worshipper in front of his people. Just as the imam who leads any congregational prayer will stand ahead of the others but perform the same submissive actions facing the same direction, so did the Prophet – like those before him – show all men and women how to worship Allah in all aspects of life.

{ Say (O Muhammad): ‘Truly my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are for God, Lord of the worlds; He has no partner. Thus I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.’ } (Al-An`ām 6:162-3)

Thus the Prophet was first in line to submit to Allah, and the foremost in obedience to Him. Chronologically, he was the first member of the Quranic community to follow its message, but of course, as we have shown in the verses above, he was not the first Muslim in history. Muhammad was a believer and submitter just as his brother-prophets (peace be upon them all), including the Messiah Jesus and those who followed his way, as opposed to the religion built upon claims surrounding his noble person.

A Way of Life

It is worth taking a closer look at the word Islam. What type of word is it? It is a verbal noun, i.e. the name for an action, and this fact has its own significance. It means that Islam as a religion is defined by this act of submission, which goes beyond a single action to being a comprehensive way of life. When someone becomes a Muslim, the way of speaking about this in Arabic is not to say that she “converted” – or even “reverted” as many Muslims prefer to say. Rather, the word that is used is islām, so it is as though we have said: “Sarah islām’d last month.”

This meaning of repentance and conversion is also found in the Qur’an, such as in the story of the Queen of Sheba (An-Naml 27:44) and the Bedouin Arabs (Al-Ḥujurāt 49:17). The People of the Book, namely Jews and Christians, are addressed with an invitation to submit (Āl `Imrān 3:20), meaning to recognize the last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) and live by the law revealed to him. This shows that while respecting the former communities of scripture, the Qur’an is clear that their religious beliefs and practice are not accepted from them by Almighty God.

Studying the etymology of the names of world religions, it becomes clear that many have been named in one way or another after their followers. For example, Judaism is the religion of the Judaic people[2]. Even Christianity, with its linguistic connection to Christ[3], derives from the name of the Christians rather than the other way round. Muslims, on the other hand, take their name from Islam. They are named by the action that defines them: their submission to God, manifested in absolute monotheism as well as belief in the final Prophet and divine Book.

A Universal Message

It follows that Islam is a universal meaning not bound to any group of people, nor even to any particular figure or event in history. It is another word for true religion itself, and is the direct relationship between any worshipper – human, animal or even inanimate – and the only Being worthy of worship. Thus everyone who believes that submission is the duty of all creatures towards their Creator will strive to perfect his islām (small-i) even if he is not among those who have chosen to follow the guidance brought by Muhammad, the last in the line of prophets teaching and exemplifying this submission.

When Muslims invite others to their religious path, they are inviting neither to something strange or novel, nor to an exclusive club. It is the revival of the human spirit, the echo of the prophetic call.

…
Afterwords

There are two points that ought to be clarified at the end of this paper, due to some misconceptions I have observed among Muslims and others.

First: The above study was particularly concerned with the Quranic occurrences of the word “Islam”, and established – among other things – that some of these are in the “small-i” sense, while others ought to be seen as referring to the “big-I, reified” meaning of Islam-the-religion. The latter reality would become clearer by studying the many texts of the Qur’an that establish the principles and details of a faith and way of life, called Islam. These include all the verses distinguishing believers (mu’minūn, a related key word) from rejecters (kāfirūn), delineating the fate of each, as well as those describing the Muslims as a nation of faith (ummah). These meanings would be further solidified by reference to the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (on whom be peace), such as “Islam is built on five…”, which lists the famous pillars of religious practice, to give just one example.

The Muslims have understood, from the time of revelation until today, that they are a distinct community with a shared religion. Therefore, there is no justification from what we have said for rejecting “organised religion” – as some have defined it – and adhering to “personal submission”, still hoping for ultimate salvation and success. To incorporate the linguistic meaning of the word, we can understand the prophetic hadith just quoted as saying: “The way of life that is based on submission to God, and given that name, has been defined by divine revelation as consisting of…” Verses such as Q 3:85 (quoted above) make clear that no alternative is acceptable to the Creator. Moreover, being a Muslim entails being a member of the global Muslim community, with the rights and duties of brotherhood detailed in the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Second: “Islam” is a noun, and “Muslim” can be used as a noun or as an adjective, as in “Muslim community”. Both are authentically Arabic words that have arrived in English intact. However, when linking a concept to the religion itself, we say “Islamic” (in Arabic, islāmī), such as “Islamic ethics”. While “Muslim” and “Islamic” are interchangeable in some cases, it should be clear with a little thought which cases require which.

In recent times, new terms have been coined to describe emerging phenomena (often with negative agendas on the part of the media or politicians responsible for the terms; bearing in mind that defining terms in public discourse is a function of power). One key term is “Islamist”, which is useful in a context such as multiple parties competing for governance of a country, many or all consisting of Muslims — while only some take Islam as the basis of their ideas and programme. These latter parties or politicians can be described adjectivally as “Islamist parties/candidates”. This is clearly just another rendering (better suited to the context) of the same word islāmī which is elsewhere “Islamic”; in other words, it is an alternative English suffix, fulfilling a similar function (relation, nisbah).[4]

If the word “Islamist” can be used in a reasonable way (alongside a variety of unreasonable ways), that does not entail the acceptability of the newly-coined noun “Islamism”. The difficulty in finding an Arabic equivalent is the first sign that this is an unhealthy construction; the word that they have attached this “ism” to already refers to a complete worldview and way of life! Another bad omen is the inability of its proponents to define it, other than to insist that it is something different (a political ideology) from Islam (the religion). In so doing, they wish to drive a wedge between the comprehensive message of Islam, and its manifestation in this particular sphere (defined as “politics”). We ought to be able to deal with new realities and terminologies without falling for such linguistic trickery.

It happened in the Prophetic Era that a man named Ta’mah ibn Abreeq stole a shield from one of his neighbours called Qatadah ibn Nu’man, then stashed it at the home of a Jewish man called Zayd ibn as-Sameen.

Qatadah asked Ta’mah about the shield, and he denied any knowledge of it; so Qatadah started to search for it until he found it with the aforementioned Jew. When asked about it, he blamed Ta’mah.

Hence the case was taken before the Prophet (peace be upon him), who summoned Ta’mah and asked him, “Did you steal this shield and place it with Zayd ibn as-Sameen?” He denied it, so the Prophet asked Zayd: “Do you have any witnesses to support your claim that Ta’mah planted it on you?” He said that he did not. Meanwhile, the relatives of Ta’mah came and argued on his behalf.

In the midst of this confusion, the Qur’anic revelation came to clarify the truth from falsehood, and to establish justice in the face of impending injustice.

{ Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth so you may judge between the people by that which Allah has shown you. And do not be for the deceitful an advocate.
And seek forgiveness of Allah . Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. Indeed, Allah loves not one who is a habitually sinful deceiver. } [An-Nisa 4:105-7]

Then the Qur’an turns to rebuke those who are ashamed before people but not ashamed before God:

{ They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allah , and He is with them [in His knowledge] when they spend the night in such as He does not accept of speech. And ever is Allah , of what they do, encompassing. } [4:108]

Then it further rebuked those who advocate on behalf of others using falsehood and deception:

{ Here you are – those who argue on their behalf in [this] worldly life – but who will argue with Allah for them on the Day of Resurrection, or who will [then] be their representative? } [4:109]

Then Almighty God opened the door of repentance for these treacherous folk, made clear that the harmful effects of their actions would only come back to their perpetrators, and issued a warning of a terrible ending to whoever commits what God has prohibited and attempts to blame others:

{ And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
And whoever commits a sin only earns it against himself. And Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.
But whoever earns an offence or a sin and then blames it on an innocent [person] has taken upon himself a slander and manifest sin. } [4:110-12]

Then these verses are sealed with mention of the great favour of God upon his Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):

{ And if it was not for the favour of Allah upon you, [O Muhammad], and His mercy, a group of them would have determined to mislead you. But they do not mislead except themselves, and they will not harm you at all. And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom and has taught you that which you did not know. And ever has the favour of Allah upon you been great. } [4:113]

Certainly whoever ponders deeply on these noble verses will see that they guide mankind to justice which is swayed neither by desires, nor by tribal loyalty. It does not depend on love or hate, and is applied even if the person in the wrong is among those professing Islam, and the party in the right is non-Muslim.

Do you see a form of justice coming close to this in its nobility, purity and upright methodology?

In February 2007, Quranica director Sohaib Saeed participated in a Beyond Belief discussion on BBC Radio 4 about music and its relation to spiritual experience, speaking as a promoter of the art of Qur’anic recitation.

Listen here: Beyond Belief > Music & Spiritual Experience

The other panellists were Rabbi Mark Solomon of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London, and Revd June Boyce-Tillman of the University of Winchester. It was presented by Ernie Rea.

Abstract: The present study addresses the recent cultural and intellectual movement that works to adopt the Western “hermeneutics” methodology and apply it to the Noble Qur’an and Islamic religious texts in general, with complete indifference to the established principles of tafsīr (exegesis), rules of interpretation and related Prophetic clarification from the authenticated Sunnah. It also shows how this movement turns a blind eye to the accumulated experience of Islamic civilisation, based on the claim that the Islamic heritage has been patriarchal and chauvinistic against women. It further brings to light the fact that this movement consists of a number of academics educated in Western paradigms, but almost entirely lacking in authentic training in Islamic culture and religious sciences. Then it discusses the negative consequences of this movement for Muslim societies in terms of their connection with their civilisational heritage, and for the Arabic language, in that it poses a threat to the soundness of the Arab tongue. After this, it outlines the origins of hermeneutics and its development until its present form, as well as its highly subjective and biased approach to Arab and Islamic heritage. It concludes by discussing the requirements of constructing an Islamic hermeneutics that is appropriate to our heritage, language and unique historical experience.

Introduction

This paper aims to draw attention in the academic sphere to a cultural and intellectual movement that has become widespread in the contemporary Islamic world. This movement seeks to take the Western “hermeneutics” methodology and apply it to the Noble Qur’an and Islamic religious texts in general, with complete indifference to the principles of Qur’anic exegesis and rules of interpretation established in our Arabic-Islamic heritage, as well as the related Prophetic clarification contained in the authenticated Sunnah. Indeed, this indifference extends to the events of history and the entire accumulated experience of Islamic civilisation, based on a prior assumption and judgement that the Islamic tradition – in theory and practice – has been patriarchal and chauvinistic against women. Therefore, according to this view, the time has come to break intellectually from this tradition and re-establish the interpretation of the Qur’an and the religion based on this assumption, and in the light of Western Christian hermeneutics.

In recent times, since the second half of last century, this movement has been championed by a number of academics educated in Western institutions, and almost entirely lacking in rigorous, authentic learning and training in the fields of Islamic culture and religious sciences. Most of them reside in the West, where they studied and occupied research and teaching positions, particularly in Britain and the United States. However, a few live in the Muslim world after having received their education in Western universities. They promote the same direction of thought while engaging in this interpretative work; it is an active movement on the level of culture and research, but does not yet represent a general trend. It is possible for this movement to achieve results and effect change on Muslim societies in terms of their connection with their heritage, but not to the desired extent of a complete break with tradition. The effect would merely be to weaken these societies’ interaction with their cultural tradition, thereby possibly stunting their progress towards a sound awakening that would restore them to the path of history.

This movement has a linguistic aspect which – in my opinion – threatens the soundness of the Arabic tongue and its expressiveness, not to mention its religious and civilisational heritage. This is what has spurred me to present this topic to custodians of the Arabic language, thought and tradition. Its impact in our case is, unfortunately, negative, because it treats the rules of proper engagement and constructive cultural exchange with contempt, as I shall explain in the following three steps:

First: The origins of “hermeneutics” and its stages of development until its present form.

Second: The effect of these hermeneutics upon some of our men and women, and their attempts to apply them to the Arabic-Islamic tradition with acute subjectivity and bias. In addition, they display complete conformity to results of a cultural experiment that took place in a foreign environment, without any critical spirit or concern to adapt the process such as to accord with the nature of our heritage, language and civilisation.

Third: The linguistic, intellectual and methodological requirements of an “Islamic hermeneutics” – if this expression is appropriate – that suits our civilisation, our Arabic language and our distinct historical experience. In my view, we are in no need of this terminology, but I am employing it for the purposes of comparison. What we mean is: the scientific principles of interpreting Arabic religious texts, as they developed and took shape in the context of our culture and religious sciences, alongside their counterparts in contemporary knowledge and thought.

1. Western Hermeneutics

Before discussing this phenomenon, which is key to the study – in that it is the basis from which feminist interpretation of Islamic texts was born – I wish to affirm clearly that interaction and exchange between cultures, particularly between the contemporary Arab culture and others such as the Western culture, is both praiseworthy and desirable. Indeed, in the present circumstances, it is almost inevitable.

-          This is because proper exchange flows from the nature of this Arabic-Islamic culture that believes in the unity of humanity and its common origins, and that the diversity of nations calls for mutual interaction and connection, not conflict and contempt.[1] These are constructive principles worthy of being taken as a basis for interaction and exchange on the human level.

-           Indeed, the Islamic civilisation practised and benefited from such interactions, without hesitation and free of prejudice, during its most prosperous times. At the outset of this experiment, Abū Ya‘qūb al-Kindī stated: “We should be very grateful to whoever brings a small or great measure of truth, as they have made us party to the fruits of their thought and thus facilitated our goals. We ought not to be shy about appreciating truth and adopting it from wherever it comes, even from distant peoples or nations differing from us, because nothing is a higher consideration for the truth-seeker than truth itself.” Some centuries into the flowering of the experiment, Abū al-Walīd Ibn Rushd (Averroes) wrote: “In this project of ours, we must make use of the statements of our predecessors, whether they shared with us in religion or not; by the latter, I mean those who explored these questions before Islam. We should turn to their books and consult their opinions; whatever is correct, we accept, and whatever is mistaken, we point that out.”[2]

-          As for this engagement being both necessary and a reality: the Information Revolution of the past few decades, with its constant stream of information via the various communication networks, makes an introverted approach impossible in today’s world. Yet the question remains: does the phenomenon we are analysing match that spirit expressed by Al-Kindī and Ibn Rushd, or does it take another route? The answer may become clear with the following brief historical account.

What is meant by hermeneutics is the rules of interpretation and understanding of religious texts; it is an old term from Christian theology, the sense of which widened and narrowed in response to developments in religious and philosophical thought and biblical studies in the Western context. We can summarise the various stages in its denotation as follows:

• The theoretical principles related to interpreting theological texts;
• The bases of explaining the Bible and their application;
• The theory and practice of interpreting ancient texts;
• The theory of understanding and interpreting religious, philosophical and literary texts;
• The theory and practice of understanding literary works and other texts;
• The principles of interpreting written compositions;
• Understanding and interpreting the forms of human existence. This is the broadest of definitions reached by modern philosophy at the hands of Martin Heidegger; it encompasses all the humanities and social sciences.

The modern philosopher with the greatest impact in giving life to this terminology and reviving its intellectual bases was Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology, in his research on avoiding biased judgement. Further development and theorising were provided by Schleiermacher and Dilthey, along with the philosopher Heidegger as mentioned, such that it is said that hermeneutics was founded by the theologians and developed by the philosophers.[3]

Yet the story goes back much farther. The consideration of text began with the ancient Greeks, for whom the allegorical aspect was most prominent. Then hermeneutics reached the Hebrews, and Philo of Alexandria played a notable role in harmonising between the allegorical approach and Greek philosophy. The Talmud contains commentaries on the Old Testament spanning the eight centuries between the 2^nd Century BC and the 6^th Century CE. The Jews strove to devise rules of interpretation, and there emerged among them literalists – like the Sadducees and Karaites – yet the allegorical exegesis remained dominant; then the Rabbis worked to develop a path between the two ways. The Egyptian School played a significant role early on, as did the Andalusian School during the Islamic era. Just as Philo brought interpretation closer to Greek philosophy, Mūsā b. Maymūn (Maimonedes) did the same for Islamic philosophy and Kalām theology.[4]

Then hermeneutics proceeded to the Christian Church, where the allegorical method dominated again. However, the Fathers laid down some bases to understand and interpret the Bible, which came to be known as Augustine’s rules: (1) Exegesis by received teachings, or by related texts if possible: for such cannot contradict each other; (2) Metaphorical interpretation according to rules and relationships that point to significations beyond the literal meaning; (3) Exegesis using linguistic rules to determine the meanings of words and structures; and (4) Exegesis according to historical circumstances and events accompanying the text.

These rules represented a positive step in refining and structuring the process of interpretation to a certain extent; however, the allegorical method still retained its upper hand due to the influence of Gnosis on early interpretations of the New Testament. Like the Jews, and as with any religion, three groups emerged among them: (a) textual literalists; (b) allegorists and mystics; and (c) moderate centrists. Clement of Alexandria and the School of Antioch both played a role in developing the accommodating approach between absolute literalism and excessive allegorism. Then came Augustine of Hippo with the aforementioned four rules.[5] The Church treated the Bible as its property and considered its interpretation to be the Church’s exclusive right; in order to minimise disagreements, this authority was subsequently limited to the Pope alone. Along with other factors, this resulted in protest movements, including new scepticism, erupting around the middle of the 15^th Century.

Thus new interpretations emerged, free from the authority of the Catholic Church, even if they had not broken free from the same hermeneutics. The revolution led to toughening on the part of the Church, until Protestant interpretations arrived with Martin Luther and John Calvin in the early 16^th Century. We can compare between the two figures, in that Luther: (a) rejected the interpretative authority of the Pope and the Church; (b) rejected unrestricted allegorical interpretation; (c) believed it necessary for the exegete to make use of history; and most importantly, (d) saw that the text ought to be interpreted on its own grounds, i.e. by linguistic analysis and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Calvin concurred, but with greater conservatism regarding the allegorical-inspirational aspect, as follows: (a) rejection of papal authority; (b) consideration of the text’s historical context; (c) consideration of linguistic rules; (d) rejection of Allegorism. These successive attempts sought to develop the discipline of interpretation, or to turn hermeneutics into a structured technique rather than a loose process without boundaries and limits. However, this was not to close the door of interpretation to all but the Pope, as did the Catholics – who were forced to say that, while individual interpretation is possible, it must conform to the official interpretation relied upon by the Church.

Then came the Modern Era when intellects were set free from their reins, and thinkers went to great lengths in subjecting the Bible to historical criticism and free linguistic analysis, throughout the 17^th and 18^th Centuries. Enlightenment philosophy had a great impact and heavily shook belief in the sanctity of the scripture and its contents. It was helped in this by the Greek heritage revival movement, which had begun prior to this time and carried on with its programme of editing and interpreting the texts. Cartesian Rationalism, as promoted by Thomas Hobbes and Baruch Spinoza, also had a role in the movement of free interpretation of religious texts. There was a negative effect from Humanism and its call to subject religious scripture to the same standards of critique as other ancient texts. The result was the emergence of various forms of Deism, and rebellion against not only the Church but religion as a whole, during the 18^th and 19^th Centuries. Strong voices emerged calling for the abandonment of subjective interpretation and to follow a rationalistic and objective approach.[6]

In the 19^th and 20^th Centuries, hermeneutics developed in the manner previously summarised. If the spirit of liberation dominated all Western thinkers at the time, some of them went to the excesses of atheism and scepticism concerning anything religious or sacred. Thus, modern hermeneutics was born in the midst of rationalist, Enlightenment and humanist philosophies.

Friedrich Schleiermacher (18^th Century) contributed to developing a hermeneutic theory that was firmly knowledge-based; likewise, Husserl exerted his efforts in distancing bias from judgements and getting closer to the voice and pulse of reality. The latter’s student Heidegger (1889-1967), along with many other contemporaries, made a manifest impact on hermeneutical theory and generalising it to other fields of philosophy and the humanities.[7]

From the preceding outline, we see how hermeneutics developed in Western thought, and how it progressed from the time of the Greeks until the present day in response to genuine factors within that context: most significantly, the requirements of interpreting the Bible and the complications stemming, on the one hand, from the nature of the subject and the challenges of comprehension; and on the other hand, from the stances of Church and power.

Nobody can claim that we must follow the same programme in differing contexts and circumstances simply for the sake of imitation, and to develop hermeneutics as they did before us.[8] Rather, the process of authentication and criticism began with the very start of the Islamic era, in an open environment with scientific techniques, as indeed non-Muslim specialists testify. Therefore, if there must be imitation, let it be within the scope of our culture and using resources and aspects from our scientific experience. Let it proceed with objectivity and structure, and work to offset the limitations which any human effort necessarily contains.

2. Feminist Hermeneutics

As mentioned earlier, the most active part of this movement is a group of female writers who were raised and received their education in the West and continue to work within those institutions. A few returned to their original homelands to participate in the movement’s activities. In addition, some writers in various parts of the Muslim world have contributed in one way or another to this type of academic work. It is important to acknowledge that there are differences between the respective discourses and outputs from the various members of this movement, which bases its statements upon re-readings of religious texts and deriving new interpretations in the light of hermeneutical methodology.

Some of these female researchers are relatively moderate and: (a) accept the Qur’anic text while seeking to interpret it in the way mentioned; (b) reject anything from the Sunnah which they consider antithetical to women’s rights; and (c) affirm their affiliation to Islam. However, there are also some who have gone to the extremes of rejecting all prophetic hadiths, and even questioning the authenticity and divine origin of certain verses of the Qur’an. These people call for a neo-Islam or a new Islamic theology via subjecting the texts of Qur’an and Sunnah – and the entire contents of Islamic tradition – to historical and academic critique along the lines of what occurred in the West.[9]

Therefore, the examples I present here are not all the same in the ideas they promote, their extent of involvement in hermeneutical interpretation, or the cultural background against which this interpretation or analysis arises.

A.  Harun Nasution

Harun Nasution was born in 1919 in Indonesia, the far east of the Islamic world, where dominance belongs to the Shāfi‘i school in fiqh, to Sufism in spirituality and to Ash‘arism in thought and creed. His early development was within this environment, and then his father sent him to Al-Azhar in Egypt, where he attained a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Creed. He then travelled to the United States and received a second degree in Education. He later worked in Indonesian diplomacy, and then travelled to Canada, where he received his doctorate from McGill University. Upon his return, he worked to modernise Islamic thought for the sake of modernising Islamic life in his country. He chose to work in education, training researchers in the light of Western modernity. Like other modernisers, he participated in the Pancasila movement (the five principles of Indonesian democracy) as a middle way between fundamentalism and secularism. Through his educational activities, he exercised a tangible influence on Islamic thought in his homeland according to a modernist and critical methodology.[10]

In the beginning, Dr. Nasution called for the revival of the rationalist Mu‘tazilī approach to Islamic thought, then shifted to a form of free ijtihād. In these two, there was an obvious encroachment upon two of the pillars of received religious tradition in Indonesia, namely the Ash‘arī and Shafi‘ī schools, yet it remained within the context of Islamic observance. However, he then added an esoteric Bāṭinī approach inspired by the Muslim philosophers’ concept of “emanation” (fayḍ) which conflicted with both the rationalist approach and the received heritage of Sunnī taṣawwuf; indeed, it is closer to Neo-Platonism. Thus the critique extended to all three pillars of the taqlīdī intellectual establishment, in the interests of a modernist thought conducive to development, and loyal to the fixed Islamic principles from the Qur’an and Sunnah to the exclusion of all other dimensions of Islamic heritage which are – according to this view – open to change, and indeed must be changed.

The strange thing is that this advocate of rationalistic Mu‘tazilism did not stop at this Neo-Platonic emanation concept, which he justified as being the rational methodology most likely to lead to diversity among schools of thought, belief and jurisprudence, thus enriching the society in accordance  with the Islamic “dynamic”. Rather, he began to adopt the hermeneutical method – which he learned from Toshihiko Izutsu at McGill, as well as his Pakistani colleague Fazlur Rahman – in interpreting the Qur’an thematically and at variance with the traditional methodology.

Although Nasution never abandoned, throughout his career, either his rationalistic nature or his complete and uncritical acceptance of modern Western civilisation, he did comprehend and represent the spirit of academic research within that civilisation, and seek to pass it on to his students in the postgraduate field and the leadership cadres of society in a composed manner that accepted all interpretations and positions. This laid the ground for a gradual process that would lead after some time to more extreme stages of modernist liberalism, which would abandon its Mu‘tazilite roots and go to excesses in re-reading the religious heritage from an entirely Western secular perspective.[11]

B.  Riffat Hassan

Riffat Hassan was born in the 1940s to a Shi‘ite family in Pakistan; her grandfather was a poet and playwright and the family was known for its creativity and patronage of music and dance. She now holds American nationality and teaches Religious Studies at Louisville University. Her earlier studies were at a Christian missionary school in Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan. Then she went to Durham University in England to receive an Honours degree in English and Philosophy in 1964, then a doctorate in 1968 on the philosophy of Iqbal, maintaining excellence throughout her studies. Before outlining some of her theories as expressed in a number of articles on “feminist theology” (she uses “theology” in its broad Christian sense, not limited to belief; rather, it means all religious thought concerning women), as well as in her three books about Muhammad Iqbal, it may be appropriate to give an account of a Pakistani intellectual previously mentioned in his role as a professor at McGill University.

Fazlur Rahman Malik (1919-1988) prepared the ground for Dr. Riffat and those she influenced, even if unwittingly.[12] He received his training from Izutsu at McGill, then challenged the traditional definition of the Qur’an in its conception as recited revelation from Archangel to Prophet (peace be upon them). He claimed that there was a subjective aspect to the revelation on the part of its recipient, and that this aspect was what Muslim academic research had thus far failed to appreciate. He lived an active academic life, and was forced to abandon Pakistan after heading its Central Institute of Islamic Research. He was considered a leading authority in Islamic and Qur’anic studies in the West, despite his criticism of many Orientalists.[13]

Professor Fazlur Rahman was perhaps the first to apply the hermeneutical method to the Qur’an, and ended up at his theory of Muḥammadan subjectivity or externality and duality in the concept of revelation – even if he did not go to the extent of Mohammed Arkoun in the latter’s application of the same method.

As for Riffat Hassan: she proceeds from a prior assumption of the low regard for women in traditional Islamic thought, and attempts to explain the Qur’an using hermeneutics from a purely feminist perspective. Thus she attempts to uncover its rulings related to women and restore the Islamic perception of women based on the primary source of the religion, using free thought and removing from the Qur’anic text the effects of hadiths, which she criticises using her own techniques, and eventually rejects on the basis of their conflict with the right of women to absolute equality with men. For example, she refutes the hadith of the “curved rib”, considering this idea to have been taken by Muslims from the Torah rather than the Qur’an. In her feminist theology, she virtually abstains from prophetic hadiths, even though many exhort to proper treatment of women and urge respect for them.

She has claimed that: (1) religious thought and narrations in the three revealed religions assume that God’s primary creation was man, in that woman came from his rib; (2) that woman was created not only from him, but for him; and (3) that she is responsible for the descent from Paradise.

It appears that – despite her numerous qualifications in Christian theology – Dr. Hassan is unaware of a fact known to any beginner in Islamic studies: the fact that these three beliefs are foreign to Islam. She exerts great effort at numerous junctures, such as with her strained interpretations of the opening verse of Sūrat al-Nisā’ and her conclusion that “Adam” does not refer to a particular human being, but to the human race. As for the “spouse” (zawj), she claims that as a masculine word it does not refer to the woman. Therefore, there is no primacy in the creation of either gender, and the two origins of the human race are equal. [14]

She continues this painstaking effort – in vain, as the problem is itself fabricated with respect to the Islamic texts – to conclude that the hadiths are falsely attributed to a Prophet known to be fair towards women and to recognise their rights. All of this reveals an extremely shallow acquaintance with the Arabic language, and obvious weakness in knowledge of Islamic sciences and religious facts, particularly in the sciences of ḥadīth, tafsīr and uṣūl al-fiqh.

C.  Amina Wadud

Amina Wadud embraced Islam in 1972, and has long worked hard on feminist interpretation of Islamic texts, based on a complete belief in the absolute equality between men and women. She stayed for a year in Cairo during the 1970s, after receiving her first degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She then completed an MA in Near Eastern Studies and a doctorate in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Michigan in 1988. She worked as assistant professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia from 1989-1992, then professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University until 2008.[15]

Dr. Wadud carries out her activities through her position as a successful university lecturer, and she has received a number of prizes. Her first book, entitled Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective, has been translated into many languages. She follows Riffat Hassan’s approach in focusing upon the Qur’an and prophetic narrations, interpreting them from a feminist hermeneutical perspective, whereas other female activists within this movement focus on history and subjecting the entire Islamic enterprise to critique. Also, despite her extreme conception of gender equality, she affirms her commitment to Islam according to the understanding she embraces.

In the aforementioned book, Wadud highlights her dependence upon the Qur’an alone, such that if the Sunnah contradicts her understanding of the former, she rejects the latter. In what she calls her “progressive” understanding of the Qur’an, she rejects its divorce laws and approval of polygyny, considering both to be examples of a mistaken, regressive understanding of Islam and the Qur’an. She calls for a cultural break from these backward interpretations, while referring in her discussions only to one work of tafsīr, namely the Kashshāf of Al-Zamakhsharī, without explaining the reason for her choice.

Wadud’s level of Arabic seems, despite her qualifications, to be comparable to that of Riffat Hassan. She calls for interpreting the Qur’an in a variety of cultural contexts and environments, rather than being restricted to one. Like Dr. Hassan, she re-visits the question of creation and the “zawj” in order to establish complete equality between the two origins of the human race – as well as discussing the concepts of afḍaliyya (preference), qiwāma(guardianship) and nushūz (marital discord) – ignoring, in the process, the requirements of Qur’anic context and linguistic signification.[16]

D.  Fatema Mernissi

She is the first of our two examples from North Africa, the heart of the Muslim world. Leila Ahmed has an Egyptian background but her education was in Britain and the USA, where she continues to reside. As for Fatema Mernissi, she returned to her homeland after studying in the West.

Dr. Mernissi had a traditional upbringing in Morocco, and studied political science at Mohammed V University and the Sorbonne before travelling to America and attaining a doctorate in sociology from Brandeis University in 1974. Upon her return, she began to lecture in sociology at the Mohammed V University of Rabat and is nowadays a research scholar acclaimed in Western circles in the field of Qur’anic and Islamic studies. In 2003, she was granted an award for her contribution to feminist literature. She has numerous published studies concerning the ḥijāb, Islam and democracy, certain aspects of Islamic history, women and Islam, and other topics.

Before summarising her opinions and contributions to the feminist interpretative movement, I wish to mention two well-known names in the field of hermeneutics in the North African environment. The first is the late Professor Arkoun[17], who was mentioned earlier in the context of his efforts to “deconstruct” the verses of the Qur’an in search of the “real Qur’an” whose text had, he claimed, become mixed with myths which ought to be separated from it. He called for the light of investigation to be directed at the project of compiling the Qur’an – which was flawed in his opinion – putting aside the supposed historical sanctity and authenticity of its text, so that the original text could be purified of the mythical contents contained in the Muṣḥaf in the hands of the Muslims.[18]

These are the boldest claims to surface against the mutawātir text of the Qur’an throughout the centuries, across the regions of the Muslim world and among all strata of society – scholars and laymen, old and young, women and men – but they were echoed subtly by another Moroccan writer, ‘Abd al-Hādī ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, particularly in his book Sulṭat al-Naṣṣ (“The Authority of Text”).

In his introduction, Professor ‘Abd al-Raḥmān speaks about “historicism” concerning the event of Islam’s emergence, and its content and use. He attempts to specify a methodology to study the Qur’an and other texts based on a break from traditional methodologies, which ought to be replaced by a method of deconstruction and reconstruction, with the standards used to critique the Greek tradition. He admits that one inevitable attribute of this methodology is “subjectivity”, then states that there needs to be a linguistic instrument to analyse the Qur’anic text, which “could be structural, philological, expressive, grammatical, or a combination of all these.” He moves from Noam Chomsky to Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, objecting to the latter’s conclusions about the famous hadith concerning innovations (“Kullu muḥdathatin bid‘a…”). He suggests in response that “bid‘a” is genitive, as is “ḍalāla” in the next phrase. As for the statement “Every misguidance is in the Fire”: he claims that this is the predicate – or, in his novel phraseology, the “result”. We must ask what analytical method this is, and what novel grammar this researcher is applying. ‘Abd al-Raḥmān calls people to consider the psychological aspect of the Qur’an – given that the Qur’an is in a human language – and to remove the aura of sanctity from it and employ every methodology “whether linguistic, psychological, historical or dialectical”. He applies the method of “reasons of revelation” to Sūrat al-Nisā’, deconstructing and interpreting, concluding with nothing but doubts cast upon the text, and the charge of wrongdoing against women either by its contents, or via its application by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).[19]

It was in this environment that Fatema Mernissi’s views developed. Her books presented her bold opinions based on a feminist worldview and using thematic and historical analysis: not only on religious texts, but indeed on the entire Islamic historical experience. In The Veil and the Male Elite, she explores prophetic hadiths concerning women in terms of their matn and isnād, with critique based upon the assumption that traditional research is unable to reach the proper position on women and must be corrected. She believes that politics has affected religious texts, particularly hadiths, which she discusses under the title: “Sacred Text as a Political Weapon” – this being behind their negative attitude towards females. In the second part, she discusses the first three years of the Madīnan state from a historical angle to prove that the rulings applied to women there, including segregation and ḥijāb, were temporary measures limited to a particular historical context. In the final chapter, she concludes that the oppression faced by the Muslim woman is not due to Islam, the Qur’an or the Sunnah, but rather to the society and male interests.

In Beyond the Veil, she does the same sort of historical analysis, attaching great significance to political considerations and discussing the various hadiths about women. She claims that the narration of Al-Bukhārī from Abū Bakra concerning female leadership – when news reached the Prophet (on whom be peace) of the Persians appointing a woman as their leader – was nothing more than a weapon in the political stance taken by its narrator, justifying his seclusion from the strife. She accuses the same Companion over the narration of Al-Ḥasan’s conciliation between the warring parties, accusing him of having a memory that shifts for the sake of convenience: a crude form of ridicule. No less crude are her comments about Abū Hurayra, whose allegedly misogynistic attitude was due to his displeasure at being so nicknamed rather than as “Abū Hirr” (a masculine word). It is by such “academic” standards that hadiths are rejected or accepted in the feminist interpretative movement.

Even if Mernissi’s explanation of the historical circumstances behind the “temporary” obligation of ḥijāb in Madīna is accepted, what is she to do – after critiquing the Sunnah – with Qur’anic verses like Al-Ahzab 33:53? The response is the same: historical context, specifically the military threat in the year 5 AH and the burden of many visitors coming to the Prophet’s home – all of which brought about the ruling which is comparable in her eyes to the Original Sin in Christianity. Consequently, Mernissi presents the ruling as temporary in nature, in response to a situation that ceased to exist: this is historicism as applied to Qur’anic texts and their meanings and spheres of application.

She also discusses the inheritance rulings in terms of their historical connections, also with a measure of ridicule. Her analysis of numerous Qur’anic verses is in terms of cause (historical circumstances) and effect (the revelation), in language that expresses grievances or criticisms against the Companions and the Prophet himself concerning any revelation sent down against what Dr. Mernissi considers to be the interests of women.[20]

E.  Leila Ahmed

If the prolific Mernissi was something of a pioneer in this type of historical critique, then Dr. Leila Ahmed has taken on her mantle. She received all her university education from the UK’s Cambridge University and became a professor at the Harvard Divinity School.

She has published a number of books: some about women and others on academic, professional and personal interests, but her primary work is Women and Gender in Islam. In it, she uses a historical method to present the origins of the contemporary struggle between these three elements, as well as detailing the position of woman from the early days of Islam up to its major eras. Then she outlines feminist discourse in the modern period in various Muslim regions including Egypt, and its relation to issues of ḥijāb, divorce, polygyny and so on. She concurs almost completely with Mernissi’s opinions and the evidences she presents, but with a comparative style and attention to cultural influences. As for the “curved rib”, she sees in it the influence of Byzantine culture. She also contrasts African conservatism with Egyptian libertarianism with respect to women. She attacks the term “Jāhiliyya” for its negative effect, while stating that Islam restricted the Arab woman’s sexual freedom. She makes a distinction between – on the one hand – the technical or juristic understanding of prophetic directives, which transforms them into lasting rulings of permission and prohibition, and – on the other – an ethical interpretation that focuses on values and addresses the conscience. She considers the former to be the most serious error into which Islamic orthodoxy has fallen.

Turning to the Qur’an, Dr. Ahmed challenges the Muslims’ belief in the authenticity of its text established by tawātur(successive multiple narration), opining that what is in people’s hands today is different from what was revealed upon the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him). I do not know what is behind this enthusiasm, by which she – as an educated Muslim woman – challenges the core beliefs of every Muslim.[21]

Conclusions

After looking at these examples distributed in various parts of the world, we can summarise the key points of this movement’s discourse while noting that its members vary in the extent to which they adopt some of these points:

1.      Historicism concerning religious texts including the Qur’an, subjecting them to historical context which could lead to abrogation and replacement, or reduction to purely ethical values. Indeed, casting doubt on the authenticity and perfection of the Qur’anic text.

2.      Biased analysis that turns a blind eye to: the nature of Arabic texts and Arabic linguistic rules, usages and idioms; the significance of the Qur’an declaring its “Arabic” nature; and the conclusions of contemporary phonological studies, particularly semantics, concerning interpretation.

3.      Under-qualification, to various extents, for the job of interpretation. Approaching the Qur’anic text with preconceived notions born of a methodology that materialised and thrived in a different culture for reasons that may not exist in the Islamic environment.

4.      Denigrating the Islamic sciences that were compiled and developed in service of religious texts – to verify, understand and derive rulings from them – with the claim that these represent regressive traditionalism from which we need a decisive break. This, despite the fact that it is these sciences – along with literary, phonological and rhetorical studies – that can form an authentic “hermeneutics”. In other words, they can be taken as a suitable methodology for interpreting Arabic texts scientifically, objectively and according to set rules.

Towards an Arabic Hermeneutics

I believe that we are now in need of constructing a theory or a complete intellectual structure for interacting with Arabic religious texts – including the Qur’an and Sunnah – and interpreting them in a way that accords with its nature and respects its unique characteristics. In this way, we can deflect from our heritage, language, civilisation and intellectual existence, the negative trends that find intelligent men and women from among us to participate, thus destroying the edifice of their own people and depriving them of their identity: language, tradition, culture and religion.

We need not invent something new to match what others have produced: all that is required is to gather the elements of interaction with tradition and its scientific and cultural phenomena from our original sciences and our historical experience. In this way, those sciences will continue their service to this tradition and make it incumbent on anyone who wishes to study, evaluate and interpret the tradition to master the sciences, and, in addition, be trained in their implementation and how to carry out objective research within their scope. This is the proper alternative to wandering in the wilderness citing “insurmountable subjectivity”; such is nothing but intellectual idleness and blameworthy imitation.

The aptitude of the researcher is a basic prerequisite to any research activity. We saw how some people speak at length about things of which they have no knowledge – armed with nothing but unrestrained guesswork and embellishment – from among the most crucial issues of life and existence. The dangers of this phenomenon may not be obvious today; but as this “intellectual” output continues, the cultural environment will become polluted by its by-products until future generations are left unable to breathe clean air. It will no longer be straightforward to gain knowledge and search for the reality of our civilisational existence.

I wished to shed some light on the efforts of Uṣūl scholars in particular in confronting this powerful wave, and in developing and enriching the language. Phonological research, which had been unengaged with this dimension, has now begun to include it in the study of language and its sciences and methodologies. The means and tools are abundant, and all that remains is to apply careful consideration and thorough scrutiny. Therefore, I shall suffice with a brief outline of the elements that can form the basis of the desired Arabic theory of interpretation, in the hope that I shall have another opportunity to elaborate thoroughly on these elements, particularly the efforts of the Uṣūl scholars:

1. Sciences of the Arabic language including its traditional branches – naḥw, ṣarf, balāgha, ‘arūḍ, naqd and adab – alongside their counterparts in modern phonology, especially semantics.
2. Principles and rules of tafsīr, along with types and examples, methods and techniques; appreciating the contributions of our predecessors to understanding its meanings and objectives; related subjects in the Qur’anic sciences.
3. Principles of hadīth, methods of authentication and critiquing both matn and sanad, accompanied by modern methodologies of critiquing and editing texts and historical criticism – both internal and external.
4. Uṣūl al-fiqh and the means by which the jurists extract rulings from their sources; the linguistic and jurisprudential axioms underpinning this process; related studies of the nature and objectives of the source-texts, supported by methods of analysis and law-drafting in contemporary legal philosophy.

These are the primary issues that may require further categorisation, in addition to knowledge of the text’s field of relevance, such that it is possible to interact with it with certainty and clarify, interpret and explain it. I ask Allah – Most High – to bring these bright minds back to the vastness of their culture and heritage, and the origins and reality of their existence.

The Qur’an has many names, as mentioned throughout its chapters and verses. Two are considered the most important. It is described as the Kitāb meaning “book”, and as the Qur’ān meaning “recital”.

The fact that these are the two names for the divine revelation received by Muhammad, believed by Muslims to be God’s last messenger, indicates that it has two forms: as a written scripture and as a recited text.

The fact that we know it first and foremost as the Qur’an is a clue to the recited aspect being its most essential reality.

According to American ethnomusicologist Dr Kristina Nelson:

“For the Muslim faithful, the familiar sound of Qur’anic recitation is the predominant and most immediate means of contact with the Word of God. Heard day and night, on the street, in taxis, in shops, in mosques, and in homes, the sound of recitation is far more than the pervasive background music of daily life in the Arab world. It is the core of religious devotion, the sanctioning spirit of much cultural and social life, and a valued art form in its own right.” (Nelson, The Art of Reciting the Qur’an, AUC Press 2001)

In this article, we shall explain the role of recitation in experiencing the Qur’an, and discuss the principles that underlie the beauty of recitation.

Recitation: A History

When Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was first visited by the Archangel Gabriel in his cave of contemplation overlooking his home-town of Makkah, he was addressed with the command to “Recite” (Iqra’).

This word turned out to be the first revealed of the Qur’an, which descended upon God’s Messenger in stages over a period of twenty-three years. The first revelation instructed:

{Recite in the name of your Lord who created; created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous; Who taught by the pen; taught man that which he knew not.} (Al-’Alaq 96:1-5)

The Prophet recited the divine verses as he was commanded, and his companions committed it both to memory and to writing. These two aspects, recitation and writing, were both crucial to the perfect preservation of the Qur’an from the days of its revelation until today.

The Qur’an is intended to be read aloud in numerous occasions of daily life. There are numerous verses as well as sayings of the Prophet exhorting believers to be frequent in their recitation and ponder on the meanings of what they read.

For example, the following verses prescribe spiritual development through recitation and prayer in the depths of night:

{Arise to pray the night, except for a little: half of it, or subtract from it a little, or add to it; and recite the Qur’an with measured recitation.} (Al-Muzzammil 73:2-4)

And the Prophet is recorded as saying:

“A person who recites the Qur’an and is skilful therein will be with the obedient, noble recording angels; while the one who recites the Qur’an stammering, finding it difficult, has two rewards.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

One reward is for the recitation, and the other for the perseverance despite the difficulty this person finds in reciting properly.

Most notably, at every mosque, the imam leading the congregational prayer will be heard reciting the Qur’an aloud as part of the prayers at dawn, sunset and evening. For non-Muslims visiting the mosque, hearing the recitation can be a surprisingly moving experience.

The Effect of Recitation

From the earliest days, the sound of Quranic recitation has attracted and affected those who heard it. Many of the converts surrounding Muhammad were first inspired by hearing him recite verses which descended from above the heavens.

As for those who chose to reject his message, they still had to admit the power of what they heard. On one occasion, they involuntarily fell prostrate after hearing the Prophet recite Surat an-Najm, the fifty-third chapter of the Qur’an.

Even non-human audiences were moved and inspired:

{Say (O Muhammad): “It has been revealed to me that a group of the Jinn listened and said, ‘Indeed, we have heard an amazing Recital. It guides to the right course, and we have believed in it. And we will never associate with our Lord anyone.’} (Al-Jinn 72:1-2)

Some contemporary researchers have claimed that listening to the recited Qur’an not only has a spiritual and emotional impact on listeners, but can have a role in physical healing. This applies whether or not the listeners understand the meaning of the recitation, and even if they are not Muslims.

No wonder, then, that the renowned translator Marmaduke Pickthall described the Qur’an as “that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy.”

A Science and an Art

As mentioned above, the recitation and memorization of the Qur’an were, along with its writing, key to its continued preservation.

That is why Muslims strive to pronounce the Qur’an as accurately as possible, according to a set of rules known as tajwīd. This science covers the correct articulation of each Arabic letter, as well as various phonetic features that are unique to the Qur’an.

Experts transmit the correct recitation from their teachers in a chain that extends all the way back to the Prophet himself (peace and blessings be upon him), and through him in turn to the Archangel who received it from God Most High.

Any recitation delivered properly will be beautiful by virtue of the inimitable eloquence and power of the Quranic discourse, and the depth of its meanings. Even a simple recitation free from complex melodies will be pleasant and spiritual, especially if the reciter has an attractive voice.

We may make a comparison with different types of written text. A standard copy of the Qur’an has text in a uniform size, arranged into lines in order to make it easy to recite and study. Yet there is also a developed art form of calligraphy, in which the visual beauty of the Arabic words is highlighted by proficient artists and used to adorn walls.

Likewise, there are some recitations intended to deliver the Quranic text with the utmost clarity, and others that are more beautified, and which convey more fully the emotions of the reciter.

There is no set melody for reciting the Qur’an, but ideally it should be straightforward, not contrived or over-embellished such that the rules of tajwīd are compromised.

The artistic aspect of recitation has been taken to its pinnacle by the reciters of Egypt, who have a particular performance style that incorporates the melodic scales (maqāmāt) used in Arabian music. The most famous reciter of this tradition worldwide was the late Sheikh ‘Abdul-Bāsiṭ ‘Abdul-Ṣamad.

Large crowds gather to hear a renowned reciter perform passages from the Qur’an in a way that soothes at times, and excites at others. International competitions are held on satellite channels to seek out the next generation of vocal geniuses.

Muslim scholars and reciters alike emphasize that, while Quranic recitation is a profoundly moving vocal art, it is an art form in its own right and not a type of music.

While listeners of all beliefs and backgrounds listen in awe to the heavenly recitation of the Qur’an, it should be kept in mind that the source of all its power and beauty is its origin with the Creator of the universe.