سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 191
ٱلَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ قِيَـٰمًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَـٰذَا بَـٰطِلًا سُبْحَـٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ﴿191﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Those who remember Allâh (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted are You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
Those who
يَذْكُرُونَ
yadhkurūna
remember
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
قِيَـٰمًۭا
qiyāman
standing
وَقُعُودًۭا
waquʿūdan
and sitting
وَعَلَىٰ
waʿalā
and on
جُنُوبِهِمْ
junūbihim
their sides
وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ
wayatafakkarūna
and they reflect
فِى
fī
on
خَلْقِ
khalqi
(the) creation
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ
l-samāwāti
(of) the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضِ
wal-arḍi
and the earth
رَبَّنَا
rabbanā
Our Lord
مَا
mā
not
خَلَقْتَ
khalaqta
You have created
هَـٰذَا
hādhā
this
بَـٰطِلًۭا
bāṭilan
(in) vain
سُبْحَـٰنَكَ
sub'ḥānaka
Glory be to You
فَقِنَا
faqinā
so save us
عَذَابَ
ʿadhāba
(from the) punishment
ٱلنَّارِ
l-nāri
(of) the Fire
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.
Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides [190], and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth [191], (and cry out): "Our Lord! You have not created all this without purpose [192]. Glory be to You! So protect us from the punishment of the Fire."
[190] From this verse it is understood that the truly intelligent are only those people who, after reflecting upon this workshop of creation, reach the reality of Allah’s immense power and control. Then, as a result of this acknowledgment of reality, every fiber of their being becomes intoxicated with the love of Allah and begins to praise and glorify Him, and in every state they remember Allah and acknowledge His greatness. But those who, after reflecting upon this workshop of creation, reach the conclusion that this world is made of matter, and then this happened by chance, and then that happened by chance, and they consider this strong and coherent system of the universe to be merely the result of coincidences, they are by no means people of intellect. Because by chance, good may occur once in a while, but continuous good can never be produced by chance. As we see, every single thing in this universe is performing its duties with utmost excellence. Thus, in this verse and in other similar verses, there is a refutation of materialism and naturalism.
[191]
The Hereafter is a Requirement of Allah’s Justice:
By reflecting upon the system of this universe, it also becomes clear to the people of intellect that in this universe, man is the only creature who has been given intellect and discernment. Allah has also given him some powers of control and has created in him a moral sense. Therefore, it is completely against reason and wisdom that he should not be questioned about his worldly life, and that he should not be rewarded for good and punished for evil. Because we see that a person spends his whole life committing oppression and injustice, troubling people, and usurping their rights, but he does not receive any punishment in this world. Similarly, sometimes a pious and religious person spends his entire life enduring hardships and difficulties, living in poverty and distress, and never attains comfort. And this is against the justice of Allah Almighty. From this, a rational person is necessarily compelled to think that after this worldly life, there must be another life in which everyone can be recompensed for what they have done. In this way, they attain certainty in the life of the Hereafter and begin to seek refuge from Allah’s punishment.
[192]
The Universe and Materialism:
The opposite of falsehood is truth, and just as the word “truth” is broad in meaning, so too does “falsehood” have many meanings. For example, falsehood means a lie, a false statement, slander, futility, uselessness, purposelessness. In this verse, it is being stated that this universe was not created without purpose. As materialists, atheists, and naturalists believe that the elements of matter kept combining and each thing in the universe came into existence. When the particles of hydrogen combined, the sun was formed and it began to revolve on its own. Then a part separated from it and became the earth. When the earth began to revolve, a part separated from it and became the moon, and in this way, other planets came into existence, and through these coincidences, each thing in the universe was formed. Then a time will come when, just as everything in the universe came into being by chance, it will likewise be destroyed, and after destruction, the elements will begin to combine again, and this process will continue forever and ever. «وقس عليٰ هٰذا من الخرافات» Thus, in their view, this universe is merely a spectacle, a play of its various forms and coincidences.
Everything in the Universe is a Servant to Man:
On the contrary, Allah Almighty has stated that not only the entire universe, but not even a single thing in the universe has been created uselessly. Rather, everything has been created with a purpose. According to the clear statements of the Quran, the earth and all its things, the sun and the moon, and the stars have all been made for the service of man and are assigned to serve him. All kinds of physical needs of man are fulfilled from the earth. From the sun and its movement, day and night are produced, seasons are formed, and crops ripen. From the moon, light and coolness are obtained at night, and juice is produced in fruits. From the stars, we determine the times of night, obtain light, and receive guidance, and they are also an adornment of the sky. The same is the case with winds and clouds. Now see, if any one of these things were missing, it would be impossible for man to live, but if there were no humans in the universe, it would make no difference to the stability of these things. From this, it is clear that the purpose of this universe is the service of man, and probably this is the conscious and empowered creature who was created after all other things. Therefore, this universe is not purposeless, but has come into existence with a very important purpose, and Allah Almighty never creates anything without purpose; His Being is pure from this.
The Purpose of Man’s Creation:
Now the next question is, if all this is for man, then what is the purpose of man’s life? The answer to this Allah Almighty has given:
﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْاِنْسَ اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوْنِ﴾
That is, I have only created jinn and mankind so that they may worship Me. And the concept of worship is so broad and comprehensive that it includes the refutation of all kinds of shirk, the importance of tawheed, the law of reward and punishment, Paradise and Hell, in fact, the entire Shariah is included in it. The universe, the Creator of the universe, and the position of man in this universe—these are three things whose reality and correct determination people of intellect and understanding have been reflecting upon since the beginning of Adam. Then, whenever any scientist or philosopher began to think independently of divine revelation, most often his intellect stumbled.
[190] From this verse it is understood that the truly intelligent are only those people who, after reflecting upon this workshop of creation, reach the reality of Allah’s immense power and control. Then, as a result of this acknowledgment of reality, every fiber of their being becomes intoxicated with the love of Allah and begins to praise and glorify Him, and in every state they remember Allah and acknowledge His greatness. But those who, after reflecting upon this workshop of creation, reach the conclusion that this world is made of matter, and then this happened by chance, and then that happened by chance, and they consider this strong and coherent system of the universe to be merely the result of coincidences, they are by no means people of intellect. Because by chance, good may occur once in a while, but continuous good can never be produced by chance. As we see, every single thing in this universe is performing its duties with utmost excellence. Thus, in this verse and in other similar verses, there is a refutation of materialism and naturalism.
[191]
The Hereafter is a Requirement of Allah’s Justice:
By reflecting upon the system of this universe, it also becomes clear to the people of intellect that in this universe, man is the only creature who has been given intellect and discernment. Allah has also given him some powers of control and has created in him a moral sense. Therefore, it is completely against reason and wisdom that he should not be questioned about his worldly life, and that he should not be rewarded for good and punished for evil. Because we see that a person spends his whole life committing oppression and injustice, troubling people, and usurping their rights, but he does not receive any punishment in this world. Similarly, sometimes a pious and religious person spends his entire life enduring hardships and difficulties, living in poverty and distress, and never attains comfort. And this is against the justice of Allah Almighty. From this, a rational person is necessarily compelled to think that after this worldly life, there must be another life in which everyone can be recompensed for what they have done. In this way, they attain certainty in the life of the Hereafter and begin to seek refuge from Allah’s punishment.
[192]
The Universe and Materialism:
The opposite of falsehood is truth, and just as the word “truth” is broad in meaning, so too does “falsehood” have many meanings. For example, falsehood means a lie, a false statement, slander, futility, uselessness, purposelessness. In this verse, it is being stated that this universe was not created without purpose. As materialists, atheists, and naturalists believe that the elements of matter kept combining and each thing in the universe came into existence. When the particles of hydrogen combined, the sun was formed and it began to revolve on its own. Then a part separated from it and became the earth. When the earth began to revolve, a part separated from it and became the moon, and in this way, other planets came into existence, and through these coincidences, each thing in the universe was formed. Then a time will come when, just as everything in the universe came into being by chance, it will likewise be destroyed, and after destruction, the elements will begin to combine again, and this process will continue forever and ever. «وقس عليٰ هٰذا من الخرافات» Thus, in their view, this universe is merely a spectacle, a play of its various forms and coincidences.
Everything in the Universe is a Servant to Man:
On the contrary, Allah Almighty has stated that not only the entire universe, but not even a single thing in the universe has been created uselessly. Rather, everything has been created with a purpose. According to the clear statements of the Quran, the earth and all its things, the sun and the moon, and the stars have all been made for the service of man and are assigned to serve him. All kinds of physical needs of man are fulfilled from the earth. From the sun and its movement, day and night are produced, seasons are formed, and crops ripen. From the moon, light and coolness are obtained at night, and juice is produced in fruits. From the stars, we determine the times of night, obtain light, and receive guidance, and they are also an adornment of the sky. The same is the case with winds and clouds. Now see, if any one of these things were missing, it would be impossible for man to live, but if there were no humans in the universe, it would make no difference to the stability of these things. From this, it is clear that the purpose of this universe is the service of man, and probably this is the conscious and empowered creature who was created after all other things. Therefore, this universe is not purposeless, but has come into existence with a very important purpose, and Allah Almighty never creates anything without purpose; His Being is pure from this.
The Purpose of Man’s Creation:
Now the next question is, if all this is for man, then what is the purpose of man’s life? The answer to this Allah Almighty has given:
﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْاِنْسَ اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوْنِ﴾
That is, I have only created jinn and mankind so that they may worship Me. And the concept of worship is so broad and comprehensive that it includes the refutation of all kinds of shirk, the importance of tawheed, the law of reward and punishment, Paradise and Hell, in fact, the entire Shariah is included in it. The universe, the Creator of the universe, and the position of man in this universe—these are three things whose reality and correct determination people of intellect and understanding have been reflecting upon since the beginning of Adam. Then, whenever any scientist or philosopher began to think independently of divine revelation, most often his intellect stumbled.
