سُوْرَةُ الطُّوْرِ
Surah At-Tur (52) — Ayah 35
أَمْ خُلِقُوا۟ مِنْ غَيْرِ شَىْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقُونَ ﴿35﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَمْ
am
Or
خُلِقُوا۟
khuliqū
they were created
مِنْ
min
of
غَيْرِ
ghayri
nothing
شَىْءٍ
shayin
nothing
أَمْ
am
or
هُمُ
humu
(are) they
ٱلْخَـٰلِقُونَ
l-khāliqūna
the creators
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 36,35) ➊ {اَمْ خُلِقُوْا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ ٔ… :} The previous three questions were to establish that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the true Messenger of Allah and the Quran is the true Book of Allah. Now, from here, the discussion begins to establish the existence of Allah, His oneness, and His perfect power. That is, the message Muhammad (peace be upon him) has presented before them is that Allah is your Creator, so you should worship Him alone, and you should not associate anyone with Him. After all, is there any reasonable cause for their opposition to this? If they do not accept the Lord as the Creator, then let them tell: were they created without a creator? Obviously, this is impossible, because everyone knows that every created thing must have a creator. Or did they create themselves? This is even more impossible than the first, because it cannot be that a thing is both the creator and the created at the same time. Or let them tell: did they create the heavens and the earth? Clearly, this is not the case either, because this universe was created at a time when these people did not even exist.
In these two verses, Allah Almighty has asked three questions, the answers to which are not mentioned, because it is absolutely clear that neither were these people created without a creator, nor did they create themselves, nor is the universe their creation. Rather, they and the entire universe were created by someone else, and that is Allah Almighty. They also acknowledged this reality, as He said: « وَ لَىِٕنْ سَاَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللّٰهُ فَاَنّٰى يُؤْفَكُوْنَ» [ الزخرف : ۸۷ ] "And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say, 'Allah.' Then how are they deluded?" And He said: «وَ لَىِٕنْ سَاَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللّٰهُ » [ لقمان : ۲۵ ] "And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, 'Allah.'"
➋ { بَلْ لَّا يُوْقِنُوْنَ:} That is, it is not that these people do not accept Allah Almighty as their Creator or do not acknowledge Him, but the reality is that despite acknowledging, they do not have certainty in this matter. Because if they truly had certainty that Allah Almighty is our Creator, then they would worship Him alone, would not associate anyone with Him, and would not oppose the one who calls towards Him in this manner.
In these two verses, Allah Almighty has asked three questions, the answers to which are not mentioned, because it is absolutely clear that neither were these people created without a creator, nor did they create themselves, nor is the universe their creation. Rather, they and the entire universe were created by someone else, and that is Allah Almighty. They also acknowledged this reality, as He said: « وَ لَىِٕنْ سَاَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللّٰهُ فَاَنّٰى يُؤْفَكُوْنَ» [ الزخرف : ۸۷ ] "And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say, 'Allah.' Then how are they deluded?" And He said: «وَ لَىِٕنْ سَاَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللّٰهُ » [ لقمان : ۲۵ ] "And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, 'Allah.'"
➋ { بَلْ لَّا يُوْقِنُوْنَ:} That is, it is not that these people do not accept Allah Almighty as their Creator or do not acknowledge Him, but the reality is that despite acknowledging, they do not have certainty in this matter. Because if they truly had certainty that Allah Almighty is our Creator, then they would worship Him alone, would not associate anyone with Him, and would not oppose the one who calls towards Him in this manner.
