ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ وَٱلنُّورَ ۖ ثُمَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ 1
Translations
[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Then those who disbelieve equate [others] with their Lord.
Transliteration
Al-hamdu lillahi alladhi khalaqa as-samawati wa-al-arda wa ja'ala az-zulumati wa-an-nura thumma alladhina kafaroo birabbihim ya'dilun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This opening ayah of Surah Al-An'am praises Allah for creating the heavens and earth and establishing darkness and light, then condemns those who commit shirk (associating partners with Allah) by attributing Allah's attributes or creation to others. Ibn Kathir emphasizes that this ayah serves as a comprehensive introduction to the surah's theme of tawhid (monotheism), while Al-Qurtubi notes that the contrasting imagery of darkness and light symbolizes guidance versus misguidance, and those who reject this truth despite clear signs commit the gravest injustice ('adl - deviation from justice).
Revelation Context
This ayah opens Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan chapter revealed during a period of intense polytheistic opposition to the Prophet's message. The surah's opening establishes the fundamental Islamic principle of tawhid and serves as a response to the Meccan polytheists who attributed divine qualities to their idols and false deities.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk)' (Sahih Bukhari 6000). Additionally, 'Whoever dies without associating anything with Allah enters Paradise' (Sahih Muslim 93), directly relating to the ayah's condemnation of those who reject monotheism.
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims should recognize that all praise belongs solely to Allah for His perfect creation and should guard themselves against the subtle ways shirk can creep into their hearts by attributing any power or authority to anyone besides Allah. This ayah reminds us that rejecting clear signs of monotheism is the gravest injustice ('adl) one can commit against oneself.
Related Ayahs
لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
His is the dominion of the heavens and earth. He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things competent.
ذَٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُۥٓ إِذَا دُعِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُۥ كَفَرْتُمْ ۖ وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِۦ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ فَٱلْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْعَلِىِّ ٱلْكَبِيرِ
[They will be told], "That is because, when Allāh was called upon alone, you disbelieved; but if others were associated with Him, you believed. So the judgement is with Allāh, the Most High, the Grand."
وَٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْأَزْوَٰجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْفُلْكِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ
And who created the species, all of them, and has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ۗ وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ حَدِيثًا
Allāh - there is no deity except Him. He will surely assemble you for [account on] the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. And who is more truthful than Allāh in statement.