وَمِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ 49
Translations
And of all things We created two mates [i.e., counterparts]; perhaps you will remember.
Transliteration
Wa min kulli shay'in khalaqna zawjayni la'allakum tadhakkaroon
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah created all things in pairs—male and female, opposite forces, complementary elements—as a sign (ayah) for human reflection and remembrance of the Creator's wisdom and power. This pairing is evident throughout creation, from human beings and animals to plants and even abstract concepts like night and day, heat and cold. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this universal principle of duality points to Allah's perfect design and serves as an incentive for believers to contemplate the Creator's attributes and recognize their dependence upon Him.
Revelation Context
Surah Adh-Dhariyat is a Meccan surah focused on affirming Allah's oneness, power, and the resurrection. This particular ayah appears within a passage establishing proofs of Allah's existence and creative power, aimed at convincing the polytheists of Mecca of monotheism through observable natural phenomena.
Related Hadiths
The ayah relates thematically to the hadith in Sahih Muslim (2794) where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Everything has a mate (partner), and the mate of the Qur'an is the Sunnah,' emphasizing the principle of complementary pairing. Additionally, Surah An-Naba 78:8 ('And created you in pairs') complements this ayah's message.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah invites believers to observe the harmonious pairs throughout creation as reminders of Allah's intentional design and infinite wisdom, encouraging us to pause and reflect on how these natural patterns reveal the Creator's perfection. For modern readers, it promotes awareness that complementarity and balance—whether in nature, relationships, or knowledge—are divine principles that should deepen our faith and inspire gratitude.