Surah Ar-Room (30) — Ayah 54

(Ayah 54) ➊ {اَللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّنْ ضُعْفٍ … :} Mufassir Ibn Kathir states: "The origin of man is from dust, then from a drop of fluid, then from a clot of congealed blood, then from a lump of flesh, then bones are clothed upon it, then flesh and skin are placed over the bones, then the soul is breathed into it, then he emerges from his mother's womb weak and feeble, then gradually grows and becomes stronger, then he witnesses the springtime of childhood, then approaches youth, then becomes young, finally growth ceases. Now the faculties begin to decline again, strength starts to diminish, he reaches middle age, then becomes old. This weakness after strength is also a lesson, as resolve becomes low. Seeing, hearing, walking, moving, rising, leaping, grasping—in short, every strength diminishes, gradually becomes completely exhausted, and all attributes change, wrinkles appear on the body, cheeks sink, teeth break, and hair turns white. This is the weakness and old age after strength. He does whatever He wills; creating and destroying are among the least of His powers. All creation is His slave, He is the Owner of all. He is All-Knowing and All-Powerful; neither is His knowledge like anyone else's, nor is anyone's power like His." (Ibn Kathir)

➋ In this verse, Allah Almighty has affirmed Tawheed and refuted the deniers of the Resurrection: the One who can bring man from non-existence into existence, then raise him from a state of weakness to strength and youth, then bring him from strength and youth to weakness and old age until death, for Him, recreating him is not at all difficult—especially when He is All-Knowing, He knows every person and every particle of everything in the universe, where it is, and He is All-Powerful, for both existence and non-existence are the result of His power. Whenever He wills, He can bring dead parts back to life.

➌ { يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ :} That is, this journey of man from weakness to strength and from strength to weakness and old age is not the result of blind and unconscious changes in matter occurring by themselves, but all of this is the act of Allah Almighty. He creates whatever He wills; He ends some in the state of embryo, some as soon as they are born, some He calls in childhood, some He brings to youth, and whomever He wills, He brings to old age. All of this happens according to His will, perfect knowledge, and perfect power.

➍ Ibn Ashur states: "The word {’’ ضُعْفٍ ‘‘} in the verse is with a Dammah on the letter 'Dad', and this is more eloquent and the dialect of Quraysh, and it is also permissible to have a Fathah on the 'Dad', and this is the dialect of Tamim. Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi have narrated from Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), he says: 'I recited it before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as {’’الَّذِيْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ ضَعْفٍ‘‘} (i.e., with a Fathah on the 'Dad'), so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me {’’ مِنْ ضُعْفٍ ‘‘} (i.e., with a Dammah on the 'Dad').' [ ترمذي، القراءات، باب ومن سورۃ الروم : ۲۹۳۶، وقال الألباني حسن۔ أبو داوٗد، الحروف و القراءات، باب : ۳۹۷۸ ] The majority have recited the word {’’ ضُعْفٍ ‘‘} with a Dammah on the 'Dad' in all three places, and Asim and Hamzah have recited it with a Fathah on the 'Dad'. Certainly, they have proof for this which is contrary to the narration of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). The reconciliation between this recitation and the hadith of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited it with a Dammah on the 'Dad', because this is the dialect of his people, and for one who recites in the dialect of another tribe, there is permission to recite it with a Fathah, and for one who has no specific dialect, he has the choice to recite it either way." (Al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir) Note that although the recitation of Asim is with a Fathah on the 'Dad', one of his narrators, Hafs (whose narration is prevalent among us), preferred the Dammah on the 'Dad' due to the hadith of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).

54-1 From here, Allah Almighty is describing another perfection of His power, and that is the creation of man in different stages. By "weakness (state of feebleness)" is meant the drop of fluid, i.e., the sperm, or the stage of childhood. 54-2 That is, youth, in which the intellectual and physical faculties reach completion. 54-3 By weakness is meant middle age in which the intellectual and physical faculties begin to decline, and by old age is meant that stage of senility in which weakness increases. Resolve diminishes, the movement and grip of hands and feet weaken, hair turns white, and all apparent and hidden attributes change. The Quran has described these four major stages of man. Some scholars have counted other minor stages as well and have described them in some detail, which is an explanation of the Quran's brevity and an exposition of its miraculous eloquence. For example, Imam Ibn Kathir states that man passes through these conditions and stages one after another. His origin is clay, meaning that his father Adam’s creation was from clay, or that whatever man eats, from which sperm is produced, which, after entering the mother's womb, becomes the cause of his existence and creation, all of it is a product of clay. Then it is a sperm-drop, from sperm-drop to a clot, then a lump of flesh, then bones which are clothed with flesh. Then the soul is breathed into it. Then he emerges from his mother's womb in such a state that he is weak, emaciated, and extremely soft and delicate. Then gradually he grows, reaches childhood, puberty, and youth, and then gradually the process of regression begins. Middle age, old age, and then extreme old age until death takes him into its embrace. 54-3 Among these things are also weakness and strength, through which man passes, as has just been explained in detail.

54. Allah is the One Who created you in a state of weakness, then after weakness He gave you strength, then after strength He made you weak and old [59]. He creates as He wills [60], and He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.

[59]
All Stages of Life Are Compulsory:

In this verse, Allah Almighty has described those gradual states of man in which he is utterly compelled and it is not possible for him to bring about any change in these states by his own will. When he is born, he is so weak that no other living creature’s offspring is born as weak as he is. The offspring of every living creature, as soon as it is born, starts to walk, but the human child cannot even sit, let alone walk, and the stage of walking comes after one and a half to two years. Then after this, the stage of puberty and youth comes upon him, so he becomes physically strong and robust. His intellectual faculties, his understanding and awareness, all are at their peak. After this, the stage of decline comes upon him. His strengths begin to fail. His limbs begin to weaken. Various ailments and diseases beset him, to the extent that even his intellect begins to fade, and all these are such stages of life from which man can neither escape nor can he bring about any change in them. No matter how much he wishes that after old age, the stage of youth should return to him, he cannot make it happen. The gradual process through which Allah makes him pass through these stages, he must inevitably pass through it.

[60]
Exceptional Circumstances by Allah’s Will Apart from Natural Affairs:

The aforementioned stages were such that they were natural requirements, which are the same for everyone. Then there are some matters in which Allah Almighty bestows special attributes upon particular individuals. If He wills, He can create someone weak by nature and the growth rate of his limbs remains very slow. If He wills, He can make someone a dwarf. He can create someone congenitally blind. He can grant someone extraordinary intellect and understanding and make him intelligent and sharp-minded, and if He wills, He can create someone dull-witted. Then, if He wills, He may not even let the stages of youth and old age come upon someone and cause him to die in childhood. And it is also possible that an old man may remain bedridden for years, suffering on his deathbed, yet death does not come to him. And if He wills, He can grant someone a long life and keep him healthy and well. All these matters are within the power of Allah Almighty alone, and man has no authority in them whatsoever. He knows in what condition to keep which person.