بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُۥ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُۥ صَـٰحِبَةٌ ۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ 101
Translations
[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion [i.e., wife] and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing.
Transliteration
Badīʿu as-samāwāti wa-al-arḍ. Annā yakūnu lahu waladun wa-lam takun lahu ṣāḥibatun wa-khalaqa kulla shayʾin wa-huwa bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms Allah's absolute oneness (Tawhīd) by declaring Him the Originator of the heavens and earth without precedent or example. The ayah refutes the pagan Arab belief in offspring of Allah and the Christian doctrine of divine sonship, emphasizing that Allah has no consort or wife, and therefore logically cannot have children. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that this ayah uses rational argument (qiyās): since Allah created all things and is all-knowing, His nature is completely distinct from creation, making procreation impossible for Him.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-An'am (Meccan), which was revealed during the Meccan period and addresses fundamental Islamic doctrine. The surah extensively refutes polytheism and idolatry prevalent among the Quraysh. This particular ayah responds directly to pre-Islamic Arab beliefs and Christian theological claims regarding divine offspring, presenting logical proofs for Allah's absolute uniqueness.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk)' (Sahih Bukhari 2654). Related thematically, the hadith qudsi: 'Allah said: I am so self-sufficient that I am not in need of having a partner' (Sahih Muslim 2677), emphasizing Allah's absolute independence and completeness.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that Allah's nature is fundamentally different from creation, beyond human categories and limitations, inviting believers to contemplate the logical impossibility of associating partners with the Creator. For modern readers, it encourages rational reflection on faith and provides intellectual grounds to reject idolatry in all its forms, whether literal or metaphorical, reminding us of Allah's perfect self-sufficiency and our complete dependence on Him.
Related Ayahs
ثُمَّ رُدُّوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَوْلَىٰهُمُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۚ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ ٱلْحَـٰسِبِينَ
Then they [i.e., His servants] are returned to Allāh, their true Lord. Unquestionably, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest of accountants.
۞ وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ وَكَلَّمَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَحَشَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ قُبُلًا مَّا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَجْهَلُونَ
And even if We had sent down to them the angels [with the message] and the dead spoke to them [of it] and We gathered together every [created] thing in front of them, they would not believe unless Allāh should will. But most of them, [of that], are ignorant.
وَهُوَ ٱللَّهُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَفِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَعْلَمُ سِرَّكُمْ وَجَهْرَكُمْ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْسِبُونَ
And He is Allāh, [the only deity] in the heavens and the earth. He knows your secret and what you make public, and He knows that which you earn.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا صُمٌّ وَبُكْمٌ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ ۗ مَن يَشَإِ ٱللَّهُ يُضْلِلْهُ وَمَن يَشَأْ يَجْعَلْهُ عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
But those who deny Our verses are deaf and dumb within darknesses. Whomever Allāh wills - He sends astray; and whomever He wills - He puts him on a straight path.