هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا ۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ 4
Translations
It is He who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein; and He is with you wherever you are. And Allāh, of what you do, is Seeing.
Transliteration
Huwa alladhee khalaqa as-samawati wa-al-arda fee sitta ayyam thumma istawa ala al-arsh. Ya'lamu ma yaliju fee al-ardi wa-ma yakhruju minha wa-ma yanzilu mina as-sama'i wa-ma ya'ruju fiha. Wa-huwa ma'akum ayna ma kuntum. Wa-Allahu bima ta'malun basir.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes Allah's absolute sovereignty over creation, describing how He created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself upon the Throne (Arsh). Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain that Allah's knowledge encompasses all that enters the earth (seeds, rain) and all that emerges from it (plants, minerals), as well as all that descends from the sky and ascends to it (angels, deeds, revelation). The concluding statement affirms Allah's omnipresence with His creation and His constant observation of all human actions, emphasizing divine accountability and the futility of hidden deeds.
Revelation Context
This surah (Al-Hadid) is Medinan and was revealed during a period emphasizing the oneness of Allah and proper conduct in the Muslim community. This particular ayah appears in the opening section of the surah and serves as a foundational reminder of Allah's creative power and omniscience, grounding the subsequent teachings about wealth, faith, and righteous action in divine reality.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best supplication is that which is made on the day of Arafat... and it begins with praise of Allah and the Throne (Arsh).' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi) Additionally, the hadith of Ibn Abbas regarding the six days of creation emphasizes this reality across multiple authentic sources.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no action, intention, or thought escapes Allah's awareness regardless of location or circumstance, which should inspire conscious God-consciousness (taqwa) and ethical behavior in all aspects of life. The knowledge that Allah is 'with us wherever we are' provides comfort to believers in hardship while simultaneously serving as a sobering reminder that ultimate justice and divine accountability are inevitable.