بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

اَلرَّحۡمٰنُ ۙ﴿۱﴾ عَلَّمَ الۡقُرۡاٰنَ ؕ﴿۲﴾ خَلَقَ الۡاِنۡسَانَ ۙ﴿۳﴾ عَلَّمَہُ الۡبَیَانَ ﴿۴﴾ اَلشَّمۡسُ وَ الۡقَمَرُ بِحُسۡبَانٍ ﴿۪۵﴾ وَّ النَّجۡمُ وَ الشَّجَرُ یَسۡجُدٰنِ ﴿۶﴾ وَ السَّمَآءَ رَفَعَہَا وَ وَضَعَ الۡمِیۡزَانَ ۙ﴿۷﴾ اَلَّا تَطۡغَوۡا فِی الۡمِیۡزَانِ ﴿۸﴾ وَ اَقِیۡمُوا الۡوَزۡنَ بِالۡقِسۡطِ وَ لَا تُخۡسِرُوا الۡمِیۡزَانَ ﴿۹﴾ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ وَضَعَہَا لِلۡاَنَامِ ﴿ۙ۱۰﴾ فِیۡہَا فَاکِہَۃٌ ۪ۙ وَّ النَّخۡلُ ذَاتُ الۡاَکۡمَامِ ﴿ۖ۱۱﴾ وَ الۡحَبُّ ذُو الۡعَصۡفِ وَ الرَّیۡحَانُ ﴿ۚ۱۲﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۱۳﴾ خَلَقَ الۡاِنۡسَانَ مِنۡ صَلۡصَالٍ کَالۡفَخَّارِ ﴿ۙ۱۴﴾ وَ خَلَقَ الۡجَآنَّ مِنۡ مَّارِجٍ مِّنۡ نَّارٍ ﴿ۚ۱۵﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۱۶﴾ رَبُّ الۡمَشۡرِقَیۡنِ وَ رَبُّ الۡمَغۡرِبَیۡنِ ﴿ۚ۱۷﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۱۸﴾ مَرَجَ الۡبَحۡرَیۡنِ یَلۡتَقِیٰنِ ﴿ۙ۱۹﴾ بَیۡنَہُمَا بَرۡزَخٌ لَّا یَبۡغِیٰنِ ﴿ۚ۲۰﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۲۱﴾ یَخۡرُجُ مِنۡہُمَا اللُّؤۡلُؤُ وَ الۡمَرۡجَانُ ﴿ۚ۲۲﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۲۳﴾ وَ لَہُ الۡجَوَارِ الۡمُنۡشَئٰتُ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ کَالۡاَعۡلَامِ ﴿ۚ۲۴﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿٪۲۵﴾

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Most Gracious taught this Quran (1). He created man (2) and taught him speech (3).
The sun and the moon follow a precise calculation (4), and the stars and trees all bow in prostration (5, 6). He raised the sky and set up the balance (7), so that you may not transgress the balance — weigh with justice and do not fall short in the scale (8).
He laid the earth for all creatures (9, 10). In it are fruits and date palms with sheathed clusters (11), and grain with husks and fragrant plants. So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny (12, 13)?
He created man from dry clay like pottery (14), and created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire (15). So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?
The Lord of the two Easts and the Lord of the two Wests (17) — so which of the powers of your Lord will you deny (18)?
He released the two seas to meet (19), yet between them is a barrier they do not cross. So which of the wonders of your Lord will you deny?
From them come pearls and coral (20, 21). So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny (22)?
And to Him belong the ships sailing through the sea like mountains (23). So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny (24)?

کُلُّ مَنۡ عَلَیۡہَا فَانٍ ﴿ۚۖ۲۶﴾ وَّ یَبۡقٰی وَجۡہُ رَبِّکَ ذُو الۡجَلٰلِ وَ الۡاِکۡرَامِ ﴿ۚ۲۷﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۲۸﴾ یَسۡـَٔلُہٗ مَنۡ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ کُلَّ یَوۡمٍ ہُوَ فِیۡ شَاۡنٍ ﴿ۚ۲۹﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۳۰﴾ سَنَفۡرُغُ لَکُمۡ اَیُّہَ الثَّقَلٰنِ ﴿ۚ۳۱﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۳۲﴾ یٰمَعۡشَرَ الۡجِنِّ وَ الۡاِنۡسِ اِنِ اسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ اَنۡ تَنۡفُذُوۡا مِنۡ اَقۡطَارِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ فَانۡفُذُوۡا ؕ لَا تَنۡفُذُوۡنَ اِلَّا بِسُلۡطٰنٍ ﴿ۚ۳۳﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۳۴﴾ یُرۡسَلُ عَلَیۡکُمَا شُوَاظٌ مِّنۡ نَّارٍ ۬ۙ وَّ نُحَاسٌ فَلَا تَنۡتَصِرٰنِ ﴿ۚ۳۵﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۳۶﴾ فَاِذَا انۡشَقَّتِ السَّمَآءُ فَکَانَتۡ وَرۡدَۃً کَالدِّہَانِ ﴿ۚ۳۷﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۳۸﴾ فَیَوۡمَئِذٍ لَّا یُسۡـَٔلُ عَنۡ ذَنۡۢبِہٖۤ اِنۡسٌ وَّ لَا جَآنٌّ ﴿ۚ۳۹﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۴۰﴾ یُعۡرَفُ الۡمُجۡرِمُوۡنَ بِسِیۡمٰہُمۡ فَیُؤۡخَذُ بِالنَّوَاصِیۡ وَ الۡاَقۡدَامِ ﴿ۚ۴۱﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۴۲﴾ ہٰذِہٖ جَہَنَّمُ الَّتِیۡ یُکَذِّبُ بِہَا الۡمُجۡرِمُوۡنَ ﴿ۘ۴۳﴾ یَطُوۡفُوۡنَ بَیۡنَہَا وَ بَیۡنَ حَمِیۡمٍ اٰنٍ ﴿ۚ۴۴﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿٪۴۵﴾

Everything on this earth will perish (25), and only the Face of your Lord — full of Majesty and Honor — will remain. So which of the glories of your Lord will you deny (26)?
All those in the heavens and earth ask of Him. Every day He is in a new state of glory (27). So which of the praiseworthy attributes of your Lord will you deny (28)?
O you who are a burden upon the earth (29), We shall soon turn Our full attention to reckon with you (30). So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny (31)?
O company of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass — but you cannot without authority (32). So which of the powers of your Lord will you deny?
Upon you will be sent a flame of fire and smoke (33), and you will not be able to defend yourselves. So which of the powers of your Lord will you deny?
And when the sky is torn apart and turns red like a hide (34) — so which of the powers of your Lord will you deny (35)?
On that Day, neither man nor jinn will be asked about their sins (36) — their guilt will be known from their faces. The sinners will be seized by their forelocks and feet (37). So which of the powers of your Lord will you deny?
It will be said: “This is the Hell that the sinners used to deny.” They will circle between it and boiling water (38). So which of the powers of your Lord will you deny (39)?

وَ لِمَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّہٖ جَنَّتٰنِ ﴿ۚ۴۶﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿ۙ۴۷﴾ ذَوَاتَاۤ اَفۡنَانٍ ﴿ۚ۴۸﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۴۹﴾ فِیۡہِمَا عَیۡنٰنِ تَجۡرِیٰنِ ﴿ۚ۵۰﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۵۱﴾ فِیۡہِمَا مِنۡ کُلِّ فَاکِہَۃٍ زَوۡجٰنِ ﴿ۚ۵۲﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۵۳﴾ مُتَّکِـِٕیۡنَ عَلٰی فُرُشٍۭ بَطَآئِنُہَا مِنۡ اِسۡتَبۡرَقٍ ؕ وَ جَنَا الۡجَنَّتَیۡنِ دَانٍ ﴿ۚ۵۴﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۵۵﴾ فِیۡہِنَّ قٰصِرٰتُ الطَّرۡفِ ۙ لَمۡ یَطۡمِثۡہُنَّ اِنۡسٌ قَبۡلَہُمۡ وَ لَا جَآنٌّ ﴿ۚ۵۶﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿ۚ۵۷﴾ کَاَنَّہُنَّ الۡیَاقُوۡتُ وَ الۡمَرۡجَانُ ﴿ۚ۵۸﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۵۹﴾ ہَلۡ جَزَآءُ الۡاِحۡسَانِ اِلَّا الۡاِحۡسَانُ ﴿ۚ۶۰﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۶۱﴾ وَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِہِمَا جَنَّتٰنِ ﴿ۚ۶۲﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿ۙ۶۳﴾ مُدۡہَآ مَّتٰنِ ﴿ۚ۶۴﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿ۚ۶۵﴾ فِیۡہِمَا عَیۡنٰنِ نَضَّاخَتٰنِ ﴿ۚ۶۶﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۶۷﴾ فِیۡہِمَا فَاکِہَۃٌ وَّ نَخۡلٌ وَّ رُمَّانٌ ﴿ۚ۶۸﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿ۚ۶۹﴾ فِیۡہِنَّ خَیۡرٰتٌ حِسَانٌ ﴿ۚ۷۰﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿ۚ۷۱﴾ حُوۡرٌ مَّقۡصُوۡرٰتٌ فِی الۡخِیَامِ ﴿ۚ۷۲﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿ۚ۷۳﴾ لَمۡ یَطۡمِثۡہُنَّ اِنۡسٌ قَبۡلَہُمۡ وَ لَا جَآنٌّ ﴿ۚ۷۴﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿ۚ۷۵﴾ مُتَّکِـِٕیۡنَ عَلٰی رَفۡرَفٍ خُضۡرٍ وَّ عَبۡقَرِیٍّ حِسَانٍ ﴿ۚ۷۶﴾ فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ ﴿۷۷﴾ تَبٰرَکَ اسۡمُ رَبِّکَ ذِی الۡجَلٰلِ وَ الۡاِکۡرَامِ ﴿٪۷۸﴾

But for those who feared standing before their Lord, there will be two gardens (40, 41). So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny (42)?
Full of spreading branches. So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
In both gardens, two springs will flow. So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
In both, every fruit will be in pairs (43). So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
The people of Paradise will recline on couches lined with rich brocade (44), and the fruits of the gardens will hang low within reach. So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
In them will be women of modest gaze (45), whom no man or jinn has touched before (46). So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
As beautiful as rubies and coral. So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
Is the reward of good anything but good (47)? So which of the praiseworthy attributes of your Lord will you deny (48)?

And beside those two gardens, there will be two more gardens (49). So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
Dark green with lush foliage (50). So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
In both, two springs gushing forth. So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
In them, abundant fruits, date palms, and pomegranates. So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
In them will be good and beautiful companions. So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
Houris (maidens) sheltered in pavilions (51). So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
Whom no man or jinn has touched before. So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?
The people of Paradise will recline on green cushions and beautiful fine carpets (52). So which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?

Blessed be the name of your Lord, full of Majesty and Honor.

TRANSLATION OF FOOTNOTES

Here is the English translation of the footnotes for Surah Ar-Rahman:

Footnote No. 1 — Surah Ar-Rahman
This means that the teachings of this Quran are not the self-composed work of any human being; rather, its Teacher is Allah Himself, the Most Gracious (Ar-Rahman). At this point, there was no need to state explicitly to whom Allah gave the Quran’s teachings, because people were already hearing it from the lips of Muhammad ﷺ. The context made it self-evident that these teachings were given to him.
The first purpose of beginning with this statement is to make clear that the Prophet ﷺ is not its author — it is Allah who has given this teaching. But beyond that, there is a second purpose, which is hinted at by the word Ar-Rahman (the Most Gracious). If the intent were only to say that this teaching comes from Allah and is not self-composed by the Prophet, there would have been no need to use an attributive name instead of Allah’s primary name. And if an attributive name had to be used, any of the Divine names could have served that purpose. But instead of saying “Allah taught,” or “the Creator taught,” or “the Sustainer taught,” it was said: “The Most Gracious taught this Quran” — which naturally conveys that the revelation of the Quran for the guidance of mankind is entirely an act of Allah’s mercy. Because He is infinitely kind to His creation, He did not leave you to wander in darkness. His mercy necessitated that He send this Quran to grant you the knowledge upon which your righteousness in this world and your salvation in the Hereafter depend.

Footnote No. 2 — Surah Ar-Rahman
In other words, since Allah is the Creator of mankind, and it is the Creator’s responsibility to guide His creation and show it the path by which it may fulfil its purpose of existence, the revelation of the Quran’s teachings from Allah is not merely a requirement of His being Ar-Rahman — it is equally a natural and necessary requirement of His being the Creator. If the Creator does not guide His creation, who else will? And if the Creator Himself does not guide, who else could? And what greater flaw could there be in a Creator than to bring something into existence and then not teach it how to fulfil its purpose?
Therefore, it is not at all surprising that Allah has arranged for the education of mankind. What would have been truly surprising is if He had not done so. Everything He has created in this universe, He has not merely brought into existence and left to itself — He has given it the most fitting form to play its role in the natural order, and has taught it how to perform that role. Every single cell and hair in the human body itself is born already knowing the function it must carry out in the human organism. How then could man alone be left without the guidance and teaching of his Creator?
This subject is explained in various ways at different places in the Quran. In Surah Al-Layl (verse 12), it is said: “Indeed, upon Us is guidance.” In Surah An-Nahl (verse 9): “Upon Allah is the responsibility to show the straight path, and some paths are crooked.” In Surah Ta-Ha (verses 47–50), when Pharaoh heard the message of prophethood from Moses and asked in astonishment who this Lord was who sent messengers to him, Moses replied: “Our Lord is He who gave every thing its distinctive form and then guided it” — meaning He taught it the way by which it could perform its part in the system of existence. This is the very argument that satisfies an unbiased mind that the sending of prophets and scriptures from Allah for human guidance is entirely in accordance with the demands of nature.

Footnote No. 3 — Surah Ar-Rahman
The original word used here is bayān. It carries two meanings: first, the expression of what is within one’s mind — that is, the ability to speak and convey one’s thoughts and intentions. Second, it means the clarification of distinctions — which, in this context, refers to the ability to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong.
Taking both meanings into account, this short phrase completes the argument made above. The faculty of speech is the distinguishing characteristic that sets man apart from animals and other earthly creatures. But speech alone cannot function in isolation — it necessarily reflects that man is a conscious and volitional being. This is a form of guidance that is suited to a conscious and free being, not to creatures that are neither.
Similarly, another of man’s most important distinguishing features is that Allah has placed within him a moral sense — by virtue of which he instinctively distinguishes between good and evil, right and wrong, justice and injustice, the appropriate and the inappropriate. This inner sense and feeling never fully leaves him, even in the depths of misguidance and ignorance.
Both of these distinguishing characteristics necessarily require that the mode of education for man’s conscious and volitional life be different from the instinctive mode by which a fish is taught to swim, a bird to fly, and within the human body itself, the eyelid to blink, the eye to see, the ear to hear, and the stomach to digest. In his own conscious life, man recognises only such means as teachers, books, schools, preaching, instruction, writing, speech, discussion, and reasoning as valid means of education — and he does not consider instinctive, inborn knowledge sufficient.
Why then should it seem strange that to fulfil His responsibility of guiding mankind, the Creator chose the prophet and the scripture as His means of teaching? The nature of the creation determines the nature of its education. This is entirely rational. For a being taught bayān (speech and moral distinction), the Quran is the only fitting means of guidance — not the kind of guidance suited to creatures who have not been given speech.

Footnote No. 4 — Surah Ar-Rahman
This means that a powerful law and an unalterable discipline governs these magnificent celestial bodies. Man is able to calculate time, days, dates, seasons, and climates precisely because the pattern of the sun’s rising and setting and its passage through various positions never changes.
The vast abundance of life on Earth exists precisely because the sun and moon have been placed at a precisely calculated distance from the Earth, and any variation in that distance follows a specific, measured order. Were their distance from the Earth to increase or decrease without such precise calculation, no life here would be possible.
Similarly, such a perfect balance has been established between the movements of the moon around the Earth and in relation to the sun, that the moon has become a universal calendar — reliably announcing the lunar date to the entire world every night with complete regularity.

Footnote No. 5 — Surah Ar-Rahman
The original word used here is an-najm, whose well-known and primary meaning is “star.” However, in the Arabic language, this word is also used for plants and creeping vegetation that have no trunk — such as vegetables, melons, watermelons, and the like.
Commentators differ on which meaning is intended here. Ibn Abbas, Sa’id ibn Jubayr, As-Suddi, and Sufyan Ath-Thawri take it to mean stemless plants, because the word ash-shajar (trees) follows immediately after, and this meaning fits more naturally alongside it.
On the other hand, Mujahid, Qatada, and Hasan al-Basri maintain that najm here too refers to the stars of the sky, not earthly plants — because this is the word’s most commonly understood meaning, it is the first thing that comes to mind upon hearing it, and mentioning stars after the sun and moon is entirely natural.
Although the majority of commentators and translators have preferred the first meaning — and it cannot be called incorrect — in our view, the position of Hafiz Ibn Kathir is more sound: that both linguistically and contextually, the second meaning (stars) appears more preferable.
In another passage of the Quran, the prostration of nujūm (stars) and shajar (trees) is also mentioned, and there the word nujūm cannot possibly be taken to mean anything other than stars. The verse reads: “Do you not see that to Allah prostrate whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and the moving creatures, and many of the people…” (Al-Hajj: 18). Here nujūm is mentioned alongside the sun and moon, while shajar is mentioned with mountains and animals — and all are said to prostrate before Allah.

Here is the English translation of the footnotes:

Footnote No. 6 — Surah Ar-Rahman
That is, the stars of the sky and the trees of the earth are all obedient to Allah’s command and bound by His law — they cannot deviate from the order prescribed for them by even a hair’s breadth.
The purpose of what is stated in these two verses is to make clear that the entire system of the universe is the creation of Allah and is running in submission to Him. From the earth to the heavens, nothing is independent or self-governing, no other deity’s authority runs in this world, no one has any share in God’s sovereignty, and nothing is worthy of being worshipped. All are servants and slaves — the sole Master is the One Almighty Lord. Therefore, monotheism (Tawhid) is the truth, which is precisely what this Quran teaches. Whoever abandons it and falls into polytheism or disbelief is, in reality, in conflict with the entire order of the universe.

Footnote No. 7 — Surah Ar-Rahman
Nearly all commentators have understood mīzān (the scale/balance) here to mean justice, explaining that Allah has established this entire universal system upon the foundation of justice and balance. The countless stars and planets revolving in space, the tremendous forces at work in this universe, and the innumerable creatures and things found in this world — had a perfect balance and equilibrium not been established among all of them, this workshop of existence could not have functioned for even a single moment.
Consider even just the creatures that have existed on this earth for hundreds of millions of years — in the air, water, and land. Their continued existence is only possible because a complete balance and equilibrium is maintained in the conditions that sustain their lives. Were even the slightest imbalance to occur in those conditions, not a trace of life would remain here.

Footnote No. 8 — Surah Ar-Rahman
That is, since you live in a balanced universe whose entire system has been built upon justice, you too must uphold justice. Within the sphere of authority given to you, if you act unjustly — if you deprive those whose rights have been entrusted to you — it will amount to rebellion against the very nature of the universe. The nature of this cosmos does not tolerate injustice, unfairness, or the violation of rights. Here, setting aside major injustices, even a person who cheats with the scale and takes away so much as a single tolah (a small unit of weight) of what belongs to the buyer has disrupted the balance of the universe.
This is the second important part of the Quran’s teaching, conveyed in these three verses. The first teaching is Tawhid (monotheism), and the second is ’adl (justice). In a few brief sentences, people are thus informed of what the Quran — sent by the Most Gracious Lord for the guidance of mankind — has come to teach.

Footnote No. 9 — Surah Ar-Rahman
From here up to verse 25, Allah mentions the blessings, favors, and wonders of His power from which both mankind and jinn benefit — and which, by their very natural and moral demand, require that these beings, despite having the freedom to choose belief or disbelief, should willingly and gladly, of their own accord, choose the path of servitude and obedience to their Lord.

Footnote No. 10 — Surah Ar-Rahman
The original words are that the earth was wada’a (laid out, prepared, arranged) for al-anām. The word wada’a means to compose, to make, to prepare, to place, to establish. And anām in the Arabic language is used to refer to creation (khalq), encompassing human beings and all other living creatures.
Ibn Abbas says: “Every thing that has a spirit is included in anām.” Mujahid explains it as meaning all creatures (khalā’iq). Qatada, Ibn Zayd, and Sha’bi say that all living beings are anām. Hasan al-Basri says that both humans and jinn are included in its meaning. All scholars of the Arabic language have stated these meanings.
This makes clear that those who derive from this verse a directive that the earth must be made the property of the state are saying something entirely baseless. It is a clumsy attempt to force alien ideologies into the Quran — something that neither the words of the verse nor its context support. Anām does not refer only to human society; the other creatures of the earth are also included. And the meaning of Allah having laid out the earth for anām is not that it should be everyone’s joint property. Nor does the context suggest that the purpose of this passage is to state any economic principle.
The actual intent here is to convey that Allah made and prepared this earth in such a way that it became fit for various kinds of living creatures to inhabit and sustain their lives upon. It did not become this way on its own — it was made so by the Creator. In His wisdom He placed it in such a position and created such conditions within it that made it possible for living species to dwell here.
(For further explanation, see Tafheem-ul-Quran, Vol. 3: An-Naml, footnotes 72–74; Vol. 4: Ya-Sin, footnotes 29–32; Al-Mu’min, footnotes 90–91; Ha-Mim As-Sajdah, footnotes 11–13; Az-Zukhruf, footnotes 6–10; Al-Jathiyah, footnote 7.)