ءَأَنتُمْ أَنشَأْتُمْ شَجَرَتَهَآ أَمْ نَحْنُ ٱلْمُنشِـُٔونَ 72
Translations
Is it you who produced its tree, or are We the producer?
Transliteration
A-antum ansha'tum shajarataha am nahnu al-munshi'un
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah poses a rhetorical question challenging the disbelievers to reflect on their own powerlessness: 'Did you create the tree of fire (from which you get fuel), or are We the Creators?' Allah is emphasizing His sole creative power and sovereignty over all creation, including the date palm tree (mentioned in the previous ayah, verse 71) from which comes fire-producing wood. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note this as a powerful argument for tawhid (monotheism), compelling the listener to acknowledge that human beings cannot create even the basic materials provided by nature.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Waqi'ah, a Meccan surah focused on the Day of Judgment and Allah's signs. The immediate context discusses the blessings of fire and water, which all humans depend upon but none can create. The surah uses these tangible, observable realities to convince the Meccan polytheists of Allah's oneness and their dependence upon Him.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly addresses this verse, Hadith Qudsi in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim emphasize Allah's creative power: 'I am as My servant thinks of Me' (Sahih Bukhari 7405), reinforcing the need to recognize Allah as the sole Creator and Provider.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to recognize their complete dependence on Allah for even the most basic necessities of life, fostering humility and gratitude. Modern readers should reflect on how human technological advancement often masks our fundamental inability to create matter itself, encouraging us to acknowledge divine sovereignty rather than rely solely on human capability.
Related Ayahs
أَمْ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا ۖ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ
Or do you feel secure that He who is above would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَرَءَيْتُم مَّا تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِنْ أَرَادَنِىَ ٱللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ هَلْ هُنَّ كَـٰشِفَـٰتُ ضُرِّهِۦٓ أَوْ أَرَادَنِى بِرَحْمَةٍ هَلْ هُنَّ مُمْسِكَـٰتُ رَحْمَتِهِۦ ۚ قُلْ حَسْبِىَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ عَلَيْهِ يَتَوَكَّلُ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ
And if you asked them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" they would surely say, "Allāh." Say, "Then have you considered what you invoke besides Allāh? If Allāh intended me harm, are they removers of His harm; or if He intended me mercy, are they withholders of His mercy?" Say, "Sufficient for me is Allāh; upon Him [alone] rely the [wise] reliers."
يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥٓ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count.
إِنَّمَا قَوْلُنَا لِشَىْءٍ إِذَآ أَرَدْنَـٰهُ أَن نَّقُولَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
Indeed, Our word to a thing when We intend it is but that We say to it, "Be," and it is.