سُوْرَةُ هُوْدٍ
Surah Hud (11) — Ayah 6
۞ وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿6﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And no moving (living) creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allâh. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit (in the uterus, grave). All is in a Clear Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz - the Book of Decrees with Allâh).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ وَمَا
wamā
And not
مِن
min
any
دَآبَّةٍۢ
dābbatin
moving creature
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
إِلَّا
illā
but
عَلَى
ʿalā
on
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
رِزْقُهَا
riz'quhā
(is) its provision
وَيَعْلَمُ
wayaʿlamu
And He knows
مُسْتَقَرَّهَا
mus'taqarrahā
its dwelling place
وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ
wamus'tawdaʿahā
and its place of storage
كُلٌّۭ
kullun
All
فِى
fī
(is) in
كِتَـٰبٍۢ
kitābin
a Record
مُّبِينٍۢ
mubīnin
clear
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
6. There is no creature that moves on the earth whose provision is not upon Allah [8]. He knows its dwelling place and its resting place [9]. All is recorded in a clear Book [10] (the Preserved Tablet).
[8]
Allah’s Attribute of Providing Sustenance:
That is, not only the sustenance of humans, but also the sustenance of the animals that walk upon the earth, even insects and ants, is the responsibility of Allah, and it is Allah’s responsibility to deliver sustenance to every living being at its place. From this verse, not only is Allah’s perfect attribute of providing sustenance evident, but also the vastness of His knowledge. The means by which Allah provides sustenance is that He sends down rain from the sky, from which all kinds of vegetation grow from the earth. Then, from these plants, crops, fruits, etc., every living being is provided with sustenance, either directly or indirectly, and all the necessities of life for every living being are being provided from this earth. And as much creation as Allah creates, the earth continues to bring forth new treasures accordingly, and will continue to do so in the future as well. However, for the attainment of this sustenance, He has also commanded the adoption of means and resources, and when any human or living being is unable to adopt means, Allah Himself provides the means.
The Failure of the Department of Family Planning and the Causes of Famine:
Here, the question arises that if the provision of sustenance is Allah’s responsibility, then why do thousands of people die due to famine or for some other reasons? The answer is that famine is a punishment from Allah, which is imposed upon people due to their disobedience, and other reasons are due to some people’s oppression and injustice towards others and the unequal distribution of economic resources, which result in such incidents, and all of this is the consequence of people’s own actions. Otherwise, the idea of any deficiency or shortcoming in the sustenance provided by Allah for living beings is not even conceivable.
The Short-Sightedness of Economists:
Today, it is being propagated at the global level that the population is increasing rapidly and the resources of sustenance are not keeping pace, therefore family planning and control over offspring are necessary. In this regard, what greater proof can there be of the short-sightedness of today’s economists and their failure as a result of waging war against nature than the fact that wherever such departments are established, the birth rate is relatively increasing, and it is a strange coincidence that people are also more prosperous and content than before, which every person can observe by comparing with life fifty years ago. The real reason for the thinking of these materialist experts is merely the lack of trust in Allah’s attribute of providing sustenance; otherwise, Allah is increasing the treasures of the earth along with the increase in population. Lands that had been barren for centuries are being cultivated, the earth is yielding four crops a year instead of two, oil is being discovered in some places, in others, fuel gases and other minerals, and humans are also discovering new means of sustenance. All these things are a living example of this verse. Materialist economists can estimate that after so many years, according to the current birth rate, the world’s population will be such and such, but they cannot estimate the new means of sustenance that Allah will provide during that period, so most of their estimates turn out to be wrong. The greatest harm of this materialism and focus only on material resources is that trust in Allah is lost, which is the real purpose of this verse.
The Virtue of Trust in Allah:
Thus, Sayyiduna Umar ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: “If you trust in Allah as He deserves to be trusted, you would be provided with sustenance as the birds are provided; they go out hungry in the morning and return with their bellies full in the evening.” [ترمذي، ابواب الزهد۔ باب ماجاء فى قلة الطعام]
[9] The words of the Quran are “mustaqarr” (abode) and “mustauda‘” (place of deposit), and “mustauda‘” also refers to a storehouse where something is stored or deposits are kept for safekeeping. There is considerable difference among the commentators in the interpretation of these two words. Among them, we adopt the statement of Ibn Abbas ؓ. According to him, “mustaqarr” refers to the place where one has spent (most of) his life in this world, and “mustauda‘” refers to the place where he is buried, and Allah has complete knowledge of both these places for every living being.
[10]
﴿لوح محفوظ﴾ is the Clear Book:
By “the Clear Book” is meant ﴿لوح محفوظ﴾, as is evident from the following hadith. Imran bin Husain says that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah was, and there was nothing before Him. His Throne was upon water. Then He created the heavens and the earth, and in ﴿لوح محفوظ﴾ He wrote everything.” [بخاري، كتاب التوحيد۔ باب قوله وكان عرشه على الماء]
[8]
Allah’s Attribute of Providing Sustenance:
That is, not only the sustenance of humans, but also the sustenance of the animals that walk upon the earth, even insects and ants, is the responsibility of Allah, and it is Allah’s responsibility to deliver sustenance to every living being at its place. From this verse, not only is Allah’s perfect attribute of providing sustenance evident, but also the vastness of His knowledge. The means by which Allah provides sustenance is that He sends down rain from the sky, from which all kinds of vegetation grow from the earth. Then, from these plants, crops, fruits, etc., every living being is provided with sustenance, either directly or indirectly, and all the necessities of life for every living being are being provided from this earth. And as much creation as Allah creates, the earth continues to bring forth new treasures accordingly, and will continue to do so in the future as well. However, for the attainment of this sustenance, He has also commanded the adoption of means and resources, and when any human or living being is unable to adopt means, Allah Himself provides the means.
The Failure of the Department of Family Planning and the Causes of Famine:
Here, the question arises that if the provision of sustenance is Allah’s responsibility, then why do thousands of people die due to famine or for some other reasons? The answer is that famine is a punishment from Allah, which is imposed upon people due to their disobedience, and other reasons are due to some people’s oppression and injustice towards others and the unequal distribution of economic resources, which result in such incidents, and all of this is the consequence of people’s own actions. Otherwise, the idea of any deficiency or shortcoming in the sustenance provided by Allah for living beings is not even conceivable.
The Short-Sightedness of Economists:
Today, it is being propagated at the global level that the population is increasing rapidly and the resources of sustenance are not keeping pace, therefore family planning and control over offspring are necessary. In this regard, what greater proof can there be of the short-sightedness of today’s economists and their failure as a result of waging war against nature than the fact that wherever such departments are established, the birth rate is relatively increasing, and it is a strange coincidence that people are also more prosperous and content than before, which every person can observe by comparing with life fifty years ago. The real reason for the thinking of these materialist experts is merely the lack of trust in Allah’s attribute of providing sustenance; otherwise, Allah is increasing the treasures of the earth along with the increase in population. Lands that had been barren for centuries are being cultivated, the earth is yielding four crops a year instead of two, oil is being discovered in some places, in others, fuel gases and other minerals, and humans are also discovering new means of sustenance. All these things are a living example of this verse. Materialist economists can estimate that after so many years, according to the current birth rate, the world’s population will be such and such, but they cannot estimate the new means of sustenance that Allah will provide during that period, so most of their estimates turn out to be wrong. The greatest harm of this materialism and focus only on material resources is that trust in Allah is lost, which is the real purpose of this verse.
The Virtue of Trust in Allah:
Thus, Sayyiduna Umar ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: “If you trust in Allah as He deserves to be trusted, you would be provided with sustenance as the birds are provided; they go out hungry in the morning and return with their bellies full in the evening.” [ترمذي، ابواب الزهد۔ باب ماجاء فى قلة الطعام]
[9] The words of the Quran are “mustaqarr” (abode) and “mustauda‘” (place of deposit), and “mustauda‘” also refers to a storehouse where something is stored or deposits are kept for safekeeping. There is considerable difference among the commentators in the interpretation of these two words. Among them, we adopt the statement of Ibn Abbas ؓ. According to him, “mustaqarr” refers to the place where one has spent (most of) his life in this world, and “mustauda‘” refers to the place where he is buried, and Allah has complete knowledge of both these places for every living being.
[10]
﴿لوح محفوظ﴾ is the Clear Book:
By “the Clear Book” is meant ﴿لوح محفوظ﴾, as is evident from the following hadith. Imran bin Husain says that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah was, and there was nothing before Him. His Throne was upon water. Then He created the heavens and the earth, and in ﴿لوح محفوظ﴾ He wrote everything.” [بخاري، كتاب التوحيد۔ باب قوله وكان عرشه على الماء]
