خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ تَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ 3
Translations
He created the heavens and earth in truth. High is He above what they associate with Him.
Transliteration
Khalaqa as-samawati wa-al-arda bi-al-haqq. Ta'ala 'amma yushrikun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah declares that Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth and purpose, not in vain. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret 'bi-al-haqq' (with truth/justice) to mean that creation serves divine wisdom and justice, refuting the polytheists' false beliefs. The phrase 'Ta'ala 'amma yushrikun' (exalted is He above what they associate with Him) emphasizes Allah's complete transcendence and rejection of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Nahl, a Meccan surah that focuses on Allah's signs and blessings in creation. The verse occurs within a passage refuting polytheism and establishing tawhid (monotheism) by pointing to the purposeful creation of the universe as evidence of Allah's oneness and transcendence.
Related Hadiths
Hadith Qudsi: 'I created all things for a purpose' - emphasizing that creation is not without design. Also related to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should know that everything created has wisdom behind it.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that the orderly universe around us is clear evidence of one Creator with perfect wisdom, inviting us to reflect on creation as a means of strengthening faith and rejecting false associations with the Divine. It also humbles us to recognize that our purpose aligns with the greater divine plan in creation.
Related Ayahs
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.
قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِن شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْهُم مِّن ظَهِيرٍ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Invoke those you claim [as deities] besides Allāh." They do not possess an atom's weight [of ability] in the heavens or on the earth, and they do not have therein any partnership [with Him], nor is there for Him from among them any assistant.
إِنَّمَآ أَمْرُهُۥٓ إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيْـًٔا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ مَن يَضِلُّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ ۖ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who strays from His way, and He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.