وَٱللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّنۢ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًٔا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ 78
Translations
And Allāh has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and hearts [i.e., intellect] that perhaps you would be grateful.
Transliteration
Wallahu akhrajkum min butooni ummahatikum la ta'lamoon shay'an wa ja'ala lakumussam'a wal-absara wal-af'idah la'allakum tashkuroon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphasizes Allah's grace in bringing humans into existence helpless and then bestowing upon them the faculties of hearing, sight, and intellect as means of acquiring knowledge and understanding. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that these three faculties are fundamental tools for perceiving Divine signs (ayat) in creation and for spiritual development. The ayah concludes with an exhortation to gratitude, suggesting that recognizing these blessings and their divine origin is the proper human response.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Nahl, which is a Meccan surah focused on Allah's signs and blessings in creation. The broader context discusses various Divine favors (nikam) bestowed upon humanity and animals, with this particular ayah introducing the theme of human sensory and intellectual faculties as evidence of Allah's benevolence and design.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who have the best manners (akhlaq)' (Sahih Bukhari), relating to the use of our faculties righteously. Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet emphasized the importance of knowledge acquired through hearing and understanding.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that our abilities to perceive and understand the world—through hearing, sight, and reason—are sacred trusts from Allah deserving of gratitude and responsible use. We should employ these faculties to recognize Divine signs, seek beneficial knowledge, and conduct ourselves ethically, making gratitude not merely verbal but demonstrated through righteous action.
Related Ayahs
وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُمْ ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَرْذَلِ ٱلْعُمُرِ لِكَىْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ
And Allāh created you; then He will take you in death. And among you is he who is reversed to the most decrepit [old] age so that he will not know, after [having had] knowledge, a thing. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Competent.
وَإِذَا رَءَا ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ فَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ
And when those who wronged see the punishment, it will not be lightened for them, nor will they be reprieved.
فَٱدْخُلُوٓا۟ أَبْوَٰبَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ فَلَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ
So enter the gates of Hell to abide eternally therein, and how wretched is the residence of the arrogant.
۞ وَقِيلَ لِلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ مَاذَآ أَنزَلَ رَبُّكُمْ ۚ قَالُوا۟ خَيْرًا ۗ لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا۟ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ ۚ وَلَدَارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ ۚ وَلَنِعْمَ دَارُ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
And it will be said to those who feared Allāh, "What did your Lord send down?" They will say, "[That which is] good." For those who do good in this world is good; and the home of the Hereafter is better. And how excellent is the home of the righteous -