۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ 15
Translations
O mankind, you are those in need of Allāh, while Allāh is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.
Transliteration
Ya ayyuha an-nasu antumu al-fuqaraa ila Allah wa-Allah huwa al-ghani al-hamid
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the fundamental principle of human dependence on Allah and His absolute self-sufficiency. Ibn Kathir explains that all of creation, without exception, is in complete need of Allah for every moment of existence, provision, and sustenance, while Allah alone possesses all wealth, power, and is praised for His attributes. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that this recognition of our poverty (fuqr) before Allah is essential for proper servitude and humility before the Divine.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Fatir, a Meccan chapter that emphasizes Allah's creative power and oneness. It comes in a context addressing all of humanity collectively, reinforcing the universal message of tawhid (monotheism) and the relationship between the Creator and creation that was central to the Meccan period's focus on foundational Islamic beliefs.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your Hand. Your command over me is forever executed, and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You...' (Sunan At-Tirmidhi). Also relevant: 'The strongest of you in faith is the one who is most humble before Allah' (Sunan Ibn Majah), reflecting the spiritual state described in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that recognizing our absolute dependence on Allah is not a source of despair but liberation from arrogance and false reliance on worldly means. For modern readers, it cultivates the spiritual awareness that true wealth lies in nearness to Allah, and that material accumulation without divine consciousness leaves one spiritually impoverished.
Related Ayahs
وَٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ ٱلرِّيَـٰحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَسُقْنَـٰهُ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ مَّيِّتٍ فَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلنُّشُورُ
And it is Allāh who sends the winds, and they stir the clouds, and We drive them to a dead land and give life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness. Thus is the resurrection.
وَمَا ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ
And that is for Allāh not difficult.
وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَآ أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـٰلِحًا غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ ۚ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ ٱلنَّذِيرُ ۖ فَذُوقُوا۟ فَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ
And they will cry out therein, "Our Lord, remove us; we will do righteousness - other than what we were doing!" But did We not grant you life enough for whoever would remember therein to remember, and the warner had come to you? So taste [the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper.
وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا ٱلْحَزَنَ ۖ إِنَّ رَبَّنَا لَغَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ
And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has removed from us [all] sorrow. Indeed, our Lord is Forgiving and Appreciative -