سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 190
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ﴿190﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
فِى
fī
in
خَلْقِ
khalqi
(the) creation
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ
l-samāwāti
(of) the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضِ
wal-arḍi
and the earth
وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ
wa-ikh'tilāfi
and (in the) alternation
ٱلَّيْلِ
al-layli
(of) the night
وَٱلنَّهَارِ
wal-nahāri
and the day
لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ
laāyātin
(are) surely Signs
لِّأُو۟لِى
li-ulī
for men
ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ
l-albābi
(of) understanding
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 190) ➊ {اِنَّ فِيْ خَلْقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ …:} From this verse to the end of the surah, these verses have great virtue. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would get up at night for Tahajjud, he used to recite these verses. [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب : «ربنا إنک من تدخل النار» : ۴۵۷۰، ۴۵۷۱، عن ابن عباس رضی اللہ عنہما ]
➋ {لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّاُولِي الْاَلْبَابِ: ”الْاَلْبَابِ“ } This is the plural of {’’ لُبٌّ ‘‘}, which means pure intellect, so the translation is "those of understanding." That is, those who reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth and the other mysteries and secrets of the universe, they come to recognize the Creator of the universe and its true Sovereign, and they understand that this vast and expansive universe, with its orderly system in which there is no disturbance, surely has a Being behind it who is running it, and that is Allah. In this, for those of understanding, there are many signs of Allah’s oneness and His being the sole Owner, Allah’s wisdom and craftsmanship, and Allah’s power and sovereignty.
The system of the celestial bodies and its details, the number of the moon, sun, and stars, the distances between them, their mutual relations and effects, the measurement of their orbits, the causes and timings of eclipses, the rules and regulations of their rising and setting and their light and heat, in short, books of astronomy are filled with volumes upon volumes of such details. As for the earth, its shape and form, its measurement, its mountains and seas, its minerals, its gravity, its winds and changes of seasons, etc., for these, not even a single discipline was sufficient, but rather geography, physical geography, geology, physiology, meteorology, and archaeology—Allah knows how many sciences have branched out, and the estimates and calculations of Allah’s wisdom and craftsmanship are never-ending. Now, instead of {”اُوْلُوْا الْاَلْبَابِ“}, non-Muslim nations are engaged in reflecting on these things, and since their goal is only the world, they are obtaining countless worldly benefits, and through these very sciences, they have dominated the Muslims. Due to the error in their objective, they have not been granted the ability to understand the oneness of the Divine Being. Alas! If Muslims had fully participated in these sciences, all these disciplines would have become a tremendous means for the elevation of religion and the call to Tawheed, and would have served to dominate the world, because a Muslim keeps the objective of «رَبَّنَاۤ اٰتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَّ فِي الْاٰخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَّ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ » in front of him.
➋ {لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّاُولِي الْاَلْبَابِ: ”الْاَلْبَابِ“ } This is the plural of {’’ لُبٌّ ‘‘}, which means pure intellect, so the translation is "those of understanding." That is, those who reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth and the other mysteries and secrets of the universe, they come to recognize the Creator of the universe and its true Sovereign, and they understand that this vast and expansive universe, with its orderly system in which there is no disturbance, surely has a Being behind it who is running it, and that is Allah. In this, for those of understanding, there are many signs of Allah’s oneness and His being the sole Owner, Allah’s wisdom and craftsmanship, and Allah’s power and sovereignty.
The system of the celestial bodies and its details, the number of the moon, sun, and stars, the distances between them, their mutual relations and effects, the measurement of their orbits, the causes and timings of eclipses, the rules and regulations of their rising and setting and their light and heat, in short, books of astronomy are filled with volumes upon volumes of such details. As for the earth, its shape and form, its measurement, its mountains and seas, its minerals, its gravity, its winds and changes of seasons, etc., for these, not even a single discipline was sufficient, but rather geography, physical geography, geology, physiology, meteorology, and archaeology—Allah knows how many sciences have branched out, and the estimates and calculations of Allah’s wisdom and craftsmanship are never-ending. Now, instead of {”اُوْلُوْا الْاَلْبَابِ“}, non-Muslim nations are engaged in reflecting on these things, and since their goal is only the world, they are obtaining countless worldly benefits, and through these very sciences, they have dominated the Muslims. Due to the error in their objective, they have not been granted the ability to understand the oneness of the Divine Being. Alas! If Muslims had fully participated in these sciences, all these disciplines would have become a tremendous means for the elevation of religion and the call to Tawheed, and would have served to dominate the world, because a Muslim keeps the objective of «رَبَّنَاۤ اٰتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَّ فِي الْاٰخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَّ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ » in front of him.
