لَهُۥ مَقَالِيدُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ 12
Translations
To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. He extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. Indeed He is, of all things, Knowing.
Transliteration
Lahu maqaaleedu as-samawati wa-al-ardi yabastutu ar-rizqa liman yashaa wa-yaqdir. Innahu bi-kulli shay'in aleem.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms Allah's absolute sovereignty over the heavens and earth, symbolized by the 'keys' (maqalid) which represent complete control and dominion. Allah distributes sustenance (rizq) to whom He wills in abundance (yabasut) or restriction (yaqdir), according to His infinite wisdom and knowledge. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari emphasize that this divine prerogative is a manifestation of Allah's perfect knowledge ('aleem) of what benefits each creation, establishing that provision is not arbitrary but based on divine wisdom.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Ash-Shuraa, a Meccan chapter revealed during a period when the Prophet faced opposition and economic pressures. The surah addresses fundamental theological concepts including divine unity and sovereignty, themes particularly important for early Muslims facing hardship and uncertain sustenance, providing reassurance of Allah's complete control over all affairs.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'O Allah, there is no ease except that which You make easy, and You make difficulty easy if You will it.' (Ibn Hibban). Additionally, Surah Ad-Dhaariyat 58-59 contains the related hadith qudsi emphasizing Allah's knowledge of provision: 'And in the heaven is your provision and whatever you are promised.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that anxieties about sustenance should be redirected toward trust in Allah's knowledge and wisdom rather than mere material effort, as provision ultimately stems from divine decree. It encourages acceptance of differing circumstances among people, understanding that Allah's distribution of wealth reflects His perfect knowledge of what serves each person's spiritual and worldly benefit.
Related Ayahs
أَلَآ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَمَا يَتَّبِعُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
Unquestionably, to Allāh belongs whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth. And those who invoke other than Allāh do not [actually] follow [His] "partners." They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging.
أَمْ عِندَهُمْ خَزَآئِنُ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّكَ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْوَهَّابِ
Or do they have the depositories of the mercy of your Lord, the Exalted in Might, the Bestower?
ٱلْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ۚ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَسِيرًا
True sovereignty, that Day, is for the Most Merciful. And it will be upon the disbelievers a difficult Day.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَقَالُوا۟ لِإِخْوَٰنِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا۟ غُزًّى لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ عِندَنَا مَا مَاتُوا۟ وَمَا قُتِلُوا۟ لِيَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
O you who have believed, do not be like those who disbelieved and said about their brothers when they traveled through the land or went out to fight, "If they had been with us, they would not have died or have been killed," so Allāh makes that [misconception] a regret within their hearts. And it is Allāh who gives life and causes death, and Allāh is Seeing of what you do.