ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ وَٱلنُّورَ ۖ ثُمَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ 1
Translations
[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Then those who disbelieve equate [others] with their Lord.
Transliteration
Al-hamdu lillahi alladhi khalaqa as-samawati wa-al-arda wa ja'ala az-zulumati wa-an-nura thumma alladhina kafaroo birabbihim ya'dilun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This opening ayah of Surah Al-An'am praises Allah for creating the heavens and earth and establishing darkness and light, then condemns those who commit shirk (associating partners with Allah) by attributing Allah's attributes or creation to others. Ibn Kathir emphasizes that this ayah serves as a comprehensive introduction to the surah's theme of tawhid (monotheism), while Al-Qurtubi notes that the contrasting imagery of darkness and light symbolizes guidance versus misguidance, and those who reject this truth despite clear signs commit the gravest injustice ('adl - deviation from justice).
Revelation Context
This ayah opens Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan chapter revealed during a period of intense polytheistic opposition to the Prophet's message. The surah's opening establishes the fundamental Islamic principle of tawhid and serves as a response to the Meccan polytheists who attributed divine qualities to their idols and false deities.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk)' (Sahih Bukhari 6000). Additionally, 'Whoever dies without associating anything with Allah enters Paradise' (Sahih Muslim 93), directly relating to the ayah's condemnation of those who reject monotheism.
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims should recognize that all praise belongs solely to Allah for His perfect creation and should guard themselves against the subtle ways shirk can creep into their hearts by attributing any power or authority to anyone besides Allah. This ayah reminds us that rejecting clear signs of monotheism is the gravest injustice ('adl) one can commit against oneself.