A verse in Al-Qurʾān that defines the foundation of human equality and moral worth

Man around the world is torn into segments based on color, creed and tribes. This has given rise to arrogances, racism and tribal pride which has resulted into hatred for others, intolerance and a race for superiority over the others to dominate and rule. This had been so before the advent of Islam and continues even today. Thus, Islam came to destroy these false standards and establish a universal moral community based on Taqwā (God-consciousness). 

Although, there are many verses in Qurʾān that enforce a code of conduct and ask man not to feel superior to others because of one's wealth and position and to treat everyone equal, the 13th verse of Surah al-Ḥujurāt, the 49th Surah / Chapter of  Qurʾān is indeed one of the most important and universal verses in the Qurʾān for it defines the foundation of human equality and moral worth. This verse was revealed after verses that dealt with manners, unity, and brotherhood among Muslims (49:10–12). 

And the most important thing about this verse is that unlike many other verses that are addressed to the believers, this verse extends the principle to all humanity — not just believers.

Let’s unpack this verse deeply. 

The Verse (49:13) 

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

“O mankind! We created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”

“This verse is Islam’s charter of universal brotherhood and equality — the foundation of a moral, just, and united humanity.”

Context (Asbāb al-Nuzūl)

This verse was revealed to abolish arrogance, racism, and tribal pride that were common in pre-Islamic Arabia. Arabs used to boast about lineage, tribe, and race. Islam came to destroy these false standards and establish a universal moral community based on taqwā (God-consciousness).

Meaning and Message

• “O mankind” — not “O believers.”: It addresses all human beings, showing that this message is universal, not limited to Muslims.
• Declaration of Human Equality: 
• The verse affirms that all people share a common origin from Adam and Eve, forming the basis for the fundamental equality of all humankind. 
• “We created you from a male and a female.” That is all humans share the same origin — Adam and Hawwa (Eve). Which means no race, gender, or class is inherently superior.
• Purpose of Diversity: 
• It explains that the creation of different nations and tribes was intended for humans to know and understand each other rather than for division or establishing hierarchies. 
• “And made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.”: Diversity is by divine design, meant for cooperation and understanding, not for division or arrogance. 
• Taqwā as the Sole Criterion of Nobility: 
• The core message is that the most honored in Allah's eyes are those with the deepest piety, consciousness, and fear of God 
• “The most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous (atqākum).”: Allah measures worth by Taqwā — piety, moral excellence, and sincerity — not by lineage, wealth, or power.
• Social Reform: The verse marked a significant moral reform in Arabia by shifting the basis of nobility from lineage and physical prowess to inner faith and piety.
• Divine Perspective: 
• The verse reminds believers that Allah is All-Knowing and All-Aware of everyone's deeds and intentions, fostering a sense of humility and sincere focus on one's character and spirituality. 
• “Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”: Indeed only Allah truly knows who is righteous. External appearances or social rank mean nothing to Him.

Why This Verse Is So Important

1. Universal Declaration of Human Equality

• This verse is Islam’s version of a “Charter of Humanity.”
• It removes all barriers of race, color, tribe, nationality, and class.
• Similar in spirit to: “All men are created equal,” - but with a higher spiritual principle — equality before Allah.

2. Criterion of Superiority = Taqwā

• Unlike worldly systems that value power, wealth, or social status, Islam declares moral excellence as the only true measure of greatness.
• The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah does not look at your appearance or wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.” (Muslim 2564)

3. Foundation of Islamic Ethics and Global Unity

This verse underpins the Qur’an’s moral and social worldview:

• All humans are brothers and sisters in humanity.
• Diversity is not a curse, but a blessing for learning and cooperation.
• Discrimination, racism, nationalism, or arrogance have no place in faith.

4. Practical Application for Today

• Promotes racial harmony and respect among nations.
• Calls for justice and humility in global relations.
• Teaches Muslims that piety and moral conduct, not slogans or identity, define a true believer.
• A warning against modern forms of arrogance — nationalism, class superiority, or religious exclusivism.

In the Prophet’s ﷺ Final Sermon, the Prophet ﷺ echoed this verse directly:

“O people! Your Lord is One and your father is one. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, a white person has no superiority over a black person, nor a black person over a white person — except by Taqwā.” (Ahmad, 22978; al-Bayhaqī)

This shows that 49:13 is the core value of Islamic civilization — moral equality before God:

Mankind! You are being called by the One who created you out of a male and a female to inform you of the purpose of making you into nations and tribes. It is not so that you stir up conflict and enmity. It is rather for the purpose of getting to know one another and living peacefully together. Differences of language, colour, temperament, manners, talents and abilities do not lead to conflict and strife. In fact, they make for cooperation so that all tasks are fulfilled and all needs met. Colour, race, language, homeland and similar factors are of no importance in God's sight. There is only one criterion to determine people's worth: "The noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most genuinely God-fearing." (Verse 13) Noble indeed is the one who is noble in God's sight. He gives you your value on the basis of His perfect knowledge and His awareness of values and measures: "God is all-knowing, all-aware." (Verse 13) Thus all dividing factors and values are discounted leaving only one measure and one value by which all mankind are tested.

Commentators on the Quran, including Abul A'la Maududi and Sayyid Qutb, argued that this verse declares the equality of mankind. Mankind is spread around the world and has different nations and tribes to know each other, and no one is superior based on color, race, or origin. According to the verse, only taqwa (piety, fear of God) makes one nobler before God. According to the commentary of The Study Quran, this verse marked a reform of the moral order in Arabia, where previously one's worth had been determined by "lineage and grandiose displays of valor and generosity" and where fear of God had been seen as the opposite of nobility, to one which focused on "the depth of faith and piety".

Divine Scriptures are for the benefit and harmonious interconnection of man. But we ignore these Divine commandments and instructions due to our tainted vision, arrogance, pride in "lineage and grandiose displays of valor and generosity." That is the reason that this world today is torn apart and hatred for each other has set in rather than peace and tranquility.  Unless we understand the true wisdom behind our creation, we would continue to drift apart rather than coming closer to each other without any prejudices of superiority over others.

You may like to read the detailed explanation/tafseer of the verse 13, and the entire Surah, from our earlier publication on Exegesis of Surah Al Hujurat.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

You may refer to more Selected Verses from Sürah 49. Al-Ḥujurāt  - The Chambers / Private Apartments already published

You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.

For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .

You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Resource Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Dr Haifaa Younis' perspective of Verse 13 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook. You may also refer to our Facebook  Group Islam: The Ultimate Truth for more on Islam and Da'wah.

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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But few of My servants are grateful (Selected verses from Qur'an)

In our series of posts Let us be of the few who are grateful, we first deliberated on who are the MOST of the people who are ungrateful. And then we mentioned two verses from Qur'an as to who are the few people who are grateful. The first of the few people were mentioned in the 40th verse of Surah 11. Hud "But none had believed with him, except a few." Today we share the 9th verse of Surah 34. Saba in which Allah first mentions how Prophet Sulayman (Solomon, peace be upon him), the family of His servant Prophet Dawud (David, may peace be upon him), thanked him in the best of ways and was indeed one of the few of the grateful.

يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ لَهٗ مَا يَشَآءُ مِنۡ مَّحَارِيۡبَ وَتَمَاثِيۡلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالۡجَـوَابِ وَقُدُوۡرٍ رّٰسِيٰتٍ ؕ اِعۡمَلُوۡۤا اٰلَ دَاوٗدَ شُكۡرًا ؕ وَقَلِيۡلٌ مِّنۡ عِبَادِىَ الشَّكُوۡرُ‏ 

(34:13) They made for him whatever he would desire: stately buildings, images, basins like water-troughs and huge, built-in-cauldrons: “Work, O house of David, in thankfulness (to your Lord). Few of My servants are truly thankful.”

Tafsir Ibn Kathir: (The Favors which Allah bestowed upon Sulayman)

Having mentioned the blessings with which He favored Dawud, Allah follows this by mentioning what He gave to Dawud's son Sulayman (Solomon), may peace be upon them both. He subjugated the wind to him, so that it would carry his carpet one way for a month, then back again the next month. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "He set out from Damascus in the morning, landed in Istakhar where he ate a meal, then flew on from Istakhar and spent the night in Kabil.'' Between Damascus and Istakhar is an entire month's travel for a swift rider, and between Istakhar and Kabul is an entire month's travel for a swift rider.

To understand the 13th verse, let us take a start from the 12th verse:

(34:12) And We subdued the wind to Solomon: its morning course was a month's journey and its evening course was a month's journey. We gave him a spring flowing with molten brass, and We subdued for him jinn who, by his Lord's permission, worked before him. Such of them as swerved from Our commandment, We let them taste the chastisement of the Blazing Fire.

(وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ And We caused a fount Qitr to flow for him,) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be plased with him, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, `Ata' Al-Khurasani, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Malik from Zayd bin Aslam, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam and others said, "Qitr means copper.'' Qatadah said, "It was in Yemen.'' Allah brought forth all the things that people make for Sulayman; peace be upon him.

(وَمِنَ الْجِنِّ مَن يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ and there were Jinn that worked in front of him, by the leave of his Lord.) means, `We subjugated the Jinn to work in front of him,' by the permission of his Lord, i.e., by Allah's decree and subjugation, they built whatever constructions he wanted, and did other work as well.

(وَمَن يَزِغْ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِنَا and whosoever of them turned aside from Our command,) means, whoever among them tried to rebel and disobey, (نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ We shall cause him to taste the torment of the blazing Fire.) which means, burning.

With this premise mentioned in the 12th verse, now we explain the 13th verse, which is the selected verse for this post and culminates in the words: But few of My servants are grateful

(يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَآءُ مِن مَّحَـرِيبَ وَتَمَـثِيلَ They worked for him as he desired on Maharib, Tamathil,) Maharib refers to beautiful structures, the best and innermost part of a dwelling. Ibn Zayd said, "This means dwellings.' With regard to "Tamathil,'' `Atiyah Al-`Awfi, Ad-Dahhak and As-Suddi said that Tamathil means pictures.

(وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَسِيَـتٍ large basins like Jawab and Qudur Rasiyat.) Jawab, the plural form of Jabiyah, refers to cisterns or tanks in which water is held, and Qudur Rasiyat are cauldrons that stay in one place and are not moved around because of their great size. This was the view of Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and others.

(اعْمَلُواْ ءَالَ دَاوُودَ شُكْراً Work you, O family of Dawud, with thanks!) means, `We said to them: Work with thanks for the blessings that We have bestowed upon you in this world and the Hereafter.' This indicates that thanks may be expressed by actions as much as by words and intentions. Abu `Abdur-Rahman Al-Hubuli said, "Prayer is thanks, fasting is thanks, every good deed that you do for the sake of Allah is thanks, and the best of thanks is praise.' This was recorded by Ibn Jarir. In the Two Sahihs, it is reported that the Messenger of Allah said:

«إِنَّ أَحَبَّ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى اللهِ تَعَالَى صَلَاةُ دَاوُدَ، كَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ، وَيَقُومُ ثُلُثَهُ، وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ، وَأَحَبَّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللهِ تَعَالَى صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ، كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا، وَلَا يَفِرُّ إِذَا لَاقَى»

(The most beloved of prayers to Allah are the prayers of Dawud. He used to sleep for half the night, stand in prayer for a third of it and sleep for a sixth of it. The most beloved of fasting to Allah is the fasting of Dawud. He used to fast for a day then not fast for a day, and he never fled the battlefield.) 

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Fudayl said concerning the Ayah: (اعْمَلُواْ ءَالَ دَاوُودَ شُكْراً (Work you, O family of Dawud, with thanks!) Dawud said, "O Lord! How can I thank you when thanks itself is a blessing from You'' He said: "Now you have truly given thanks to Me, for you have realized that it is a blessing from Me.''

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

“Few of My servants are truly thankful.” This comment also serves as a directive. It tells us on the one hand that the grace and favours God bestows on His servants are so great that few of them are able to express due thanks for them, and on the other that people often neglect their thanksgiving duty. In fact, however much people try to express their gratitude, they cannot give due thanks for what God bestows on them. What is their status, then, if they slacken and overlook this duty?

(وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِىَ الشَّكُورُ But few of My servants are grateful.) 

The end part of verse 13 is in fact a reflection of reality. And this is the prayer which the man was supplicating when the second Caliph of Islam Umar encountered him, which we used as premise for our post "Let us be of the few who are grateful". We share the premise here once again to present the selected verse in its true context:

Once, Umar bin al-Khattab RA was walking in the market, he passed by a man who was supplicating, “O Allah, make us of Your ‘few’ servants! O Allah make us of Your ‘few’ servants!” Surprised by his supplication, Umar said to him, “Where did you get this dua from?” And the man said, “Allah in His Book says ‘And few of My servants are grateful.’ (Qur’an Surah 34. Saba:13)” So Umar wept and admonished himself, “The people are more knowledgeable than you, O Umar! O Allah make us of your 'few' servants.”

Now, my brothers and sisters in Islam, let us decide which side do we stand: The Most or the Few of the People. Choice is ours and is to me made sooner than before for we do not know much life we are left with. Remember: Even among those who consider themselves God's servants - for "truly grateful [to God] is only he who realizes his inability to render adequate thanks to Him." In fact, this is an admonition as well as an expression of trust by God in a trusted servant. The implication is that the test of gratitude is a difficult one. Few succeed in it. However, it is hoped that Solomon (sws) will be among them.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from the following sources: 

• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Yusuf Ali Translation
• Translation Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Qur'an Wiki
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
• Towards Understanding the Quran

In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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Supplication / Dua before mounting a means of transportation

Qur'an is an excellent guide to live a peaceful and thankful life. Allah on each step has provided guidelines to the true believers to live a life as prescribed by Him. For this purpose, there are many supplications and prayers loaded in the Qur'an wherein Allah puts the right words in a believer's mouth so that he doesn't fall short of the right words. 

In our series of posts on " Selected Invocations  (Dua / دُعا) from Qur'ān " we share a beautiful supplication which Allah wants us to pray whenever mounting a means of transportation, including horses, camels, ships, steamers, railways, aeroplanes, airships, cars or even bikes and cycles.  This supplication, which is the 13th verse Surah 43. Az-Zukhruf will God Willing "In Sha Allah" save us from hazards during our journey:

لِتَسۡتَوٗا عَلٰى ظُهُوۡرِهٖ ثُمَّ تَذۡكُرُوۡا نِعۡمَةَ رَبِّكُمۡ اِذَا اسۡتَوَيۡتُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ وَتَقُوۡلُوۡا سُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِىۡ سَخَّرَ لَنَا هٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهٗ مُقۡرِنِيۡنَۙ‏  

(43:13) so that when you are mounted upon them you may remember the bounty of your Lord, and say: “Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to Us whereas we did not have the strength to subdue it."

Only man from among all the creatures of the earth has been given this power by Allah to use boats and ships and animals as conveyance. Should he never think and be grateful as to who it is who created possibilities for him to run boats in the mighty oceans, and who created some animals, among the countless kinds of animals, with a nature that they become his servants in spite of being far stronger than him in power, so he ride on them and drive them wherever he likes. To benefit by these blessings and to forget the Benefactor is a sign of the heart’s becoming dead and the conscience’s being insensitive. For, when a man endowed with a living heart and a sensitive conscience will sit on these conveyances, he will be filled with the feelings of the blessings and with the gratitude for it, and will cry out: Glorified is the Being Who subjected these things to me. Glorified is He from that another should be His associate in His Being and attributes and powers. Glorified is He and free from the weakness that He should become helpless of performing the functions of His Godhead by Himself and should stand in need of other associate gods. Glorified is He that I should make another an associate with Him in rendering thanks for these blessings.

The best practical commentary of the intention and meaning of this verse are the words that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pronounce at the time he sat on the conveyance. Abdullah bin Umar says that whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) sat on a conveyance for a journey, he would pronounce Allahu-Akbar three times, then would recite this verse, and then pray: O God, I implore You to grant me in this journey the grace of goodness and piety and such acts as may please You. O God, make the journey easy and roll up the long distance for us. O God, You alone are the Companion during the journey and Guardian of the family in our absence. O God, take care of us during the journey and our household in our absence. (Musnad Ahmed, Muslim, Abu Daud, Nasai, Darimi, Tirmidhi).

Ali says: Once the Prophet (peace be upon him) put his foot in the stirrup with Bismillah, and then, after riding, said: Alhamdu-lillah subhan-alladhi sakhkhara lana hadha . . . . , then pronounced Alhamdu-lillah three times, and Allahu- Akbar three times; then said: Subhana-ka la-ilaha illa anta, qad zalamtu nafsi faghfir-li. Then he laughed. I asked: What made you laugh. O Messenger of Allah? He replied: When a servant says: Rabb-ighfir-li, Allah Almighty is very pleased with this. He says: My servant knows that there is none beside Me who can forgive sins. (Ahmed, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai, and others)

Abu Mijlaz says: Once I rode on my animal and recited this verse: Subhan-alladhi sakhkhara lane hadha . . ., Hasan said: Have you been commanded to say so? I said: What should I say then? He replied: Say, thank God, Who guided us to Islam: Thanks to Him, Who did us a favor by sending Muhammad (peace be upon him): Thanks to Him Who admitted us into the best community that has been raised for the people; then recite this verse. (Ibn Jarir, Ahkam al- Quran by Jassas).

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: The verse means, if it were not for the fact that Allah has subjugated these things to us, we could never have done this by our own strength.' Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd said: "We could not have done this ourselves.''

(And verily, to Our Lord we indeed are to return.) means, `We will return to Him after our death, and our ultimate destination is with Him.' In this Ayah, mention of earthly journeys draws attention to the journey of the Hereafter, just as elsewhere, mention of earthly provision draws attention to the importance of ensuring provision for the Hereafter, as Allah says:

(And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is the Taqwa) (2:197). And mention of earthly garments is also used to draw attention to the raiment of the Hereafter:

(and as an adornment; and the raiment of the Taqwa, that is better) (7:26).

Qur'an Wiki: This is to remind man that God has placed him in charge of the earth, putting at his disposal its considerable and varied power and potential. It also invites man to show gratitude for God's choice and blessings, reminds him of the One who grants blessings every time such a blessing is enjoyed. Such expressions of gratitude for God's blessings is sure to keep our hearts alive to their bond with God at every turn in life: "So that when you are seated on their backs you remember your Lord's blessings and say: 'Limitless in His glory is He who has made all this subservient to our use. We could not have done it by ourselves." (Verse 13)

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Invocations / Dua " دُعا " from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

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Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs / verses (ayat) of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:

• The plain translation has been taken from the Qur'ān officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1]
• The exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [2]  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided by [2], additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

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