سُوْرَةُ الذَّارِياتِ
Surah Adh-Dhaariyat (51) — Ayah 22
وَفِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ ﴿22﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And in the heaven is your provision, and that which you are promised.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَفِى
wafī
And in
ٱلسَّمَآءِ
l-samāi
the heaven
رِزْقُكُمْ
riz'qukum
(is) your provision
وَمَا
wamā
and what
تُوعَدُونَ
tūʿadūna
you are promised
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 22) ➊ {وَ فِي السَّمَآءِ رِزْقُكُمْ:} Most commentators have taken “provision” here to mean rain, as He said: « هُوَ الَّذِيْ يُرِيْكُمْ اٰيٰتِهٖ وَ يُنَزِّلُ لَكُمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ رِزْقًا» [ المؤمن : ۱۳ ] “He is the One who shows you His signs and sends down provision for you from the sky.” But the word is general, so provision means everything that is given to a person in this world for living, eating, drinking, and working. That is, whatever is being given to you is with Allah Almighty in the sky, and it is granted to you from there. By bringing {’’ وَ فِي السَّمَآءِ ‘‘} forward, exclusivity is created in the statement, so it is translated as “your provision is in the sky alone.” So when your provision is in the sky, then why worry so much for earning that you do not even distinguish between lawful and unlawful, and do not give the rightful their due? Then why be stingy and reluctant in spending on the needy and deprived? And when it comes from the sky, then what is the reason for boasting about your favor after spending on someone?
➋ { وَ مَا تُوْعَدُوْنَ:} That is, resurrection, reward and punishment, Paradise and Hell, etc., the occurrence of which has been promised through the words of all the prophets and all the heavenly books, the command for all of them is from the sky. Shah Abdul Qadir writes: “The command for what is to come descends from the sky.” (Muwadhih)
➌ At this point, some commentators have written stories of certain people who, after hearing this verse, abandoned earning and took to the wilderness, trusting in Allah, and there Allah Almighty provided them with fresh dates and provision. Thus, Tabari has narrated from Sufyan Thawri that Wasil Ahadab recited this verse {’’ وَ فِي السَّمَآءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَ مَا تُوْعَدُوْنَ ‘‘} and said: “I see my provision in the sky, and I wander searching for it on the earth.” Saying this, he went into a ruin. For three days he had nothing to eat; when the third day came, suddenly a basket of fresh dates arrived for him. He had a brother who was even better intentioned than him; he also joined him in that ruin, so the baskets became two. This remained their condition until death separated them.
The reality is that such stories have distorted the bright face of Islam. The meaning of provision being in the sky is by no means that a person should abandon earning. This is monasticism, for which there is no room in Islam; here, the instruction is to earn by working hard and to spend on others. Instead of sitting in jungles, wildernesses, or monasteries waiting for provision to come from people or the unseen, the encouragement is to obtain the purest provision through striving in the way of Allah. The entire life of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is a witness to this. The purpose of instilling certainty that provision is in the sky is only that, despite all his efforts, a person should place his trust only in the One in the sky and not, even for a moment, disobey His command for the sake of provision. It is surprising that a researcher like Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated this story without any criticism, even though in Tabari, the narrator of this report is Tabari’s teacher Muhammad bin Humayd al-Razi, whose weakness is well known.
➋ { وَ مَا تُوْعَدُوْنَ:} That is, resurrection, reward and punishment, Paradise and Hell, etc., the occurrence of which has been promised through the words of all the prophets and all the heavenly books, the command for all of them is from the sky. Shah Abdul Qadir writes: “The command for what is to come descends from the sky.” (Muwadhih)
➌ At this point, some commentators have written stories of certain people who, after hearing this verse, abandoned earning and took to the wilderness, trusting in Allah, and there Allah Almighty provided them with fresh dates and provision. Thus, Tabari has narrated from Sufyan Thawri that Wasil Ahadab recited this verse {’’ وَ فِي السَّمَآءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَ مَا تُوْعَدُوْنَ ‘‘} and said: “I see my provision in the sky, and I wander searching for it on the earth.” Saying this, he went into a ruin. For three days he had nothing to eat; when the third day came, suddenly a basket of fresh dates arrived for him. He had a brother who was even better intentioned than him; he also joined him in that ruin, so the baskets became two. This remained their condition until death separated them.
The reality is that such stories have distorted the bright face of Islam. The meaning of provision being in the sky is by no means that a person should abandon earning. This is monasticism, for which there is no room in Islam; here, the instruction is to earn by working hard and to spend on others. Instead of sitting in jungles, wildernesses, or monasteries waiting for provision to come from people or the unseen, the encouragement is to obtain the purest provision through striving in the way of Allah. The entire life of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is a witness to this. The purpose of instilling certainty that provision is in the sky is only that, despite all his efforts, a person should place his trust only in the One in the sky and not, even for a moment, disobey His command for the sake of provision. It is surprising that a researcher like Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated this story without any criticism, even though in Tabari, the narrator of this report is Tabari’s teacher Muhammad bin Humayd al-Razi, whose weakness is well known.
