سُوْرَةُ لُقْمَانَ
Surah Luqman (31) — Ayah 20
أَلَمْ تَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُۥ ظَـٰهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً ۗ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُجَـٰدِلُ فِى ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلَا هُدًى وَلَا كِتَـٰبٍ مُّنِيرٍ ﴿20﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
See you not (O men) that Allâh has subjected for you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and has completed and perfected His Graces upon you, (both) apparent (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism, and the lawful pleasures of this world, including health, good looks, etc.) and hidden [i.e. One’s Faith in Allâh (of Islâmic Monotheism) knowledge, wisdom, guidance for doing righteous deeds, and also the pleasures and delights of the Hereafter in Paradise]? Yet of mankind is he who disputes about Allâh without knowledge or guidance or a Book giving light!
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَلَمْ
alam
Do not
تَرَوْا۟
taraw
you see
أَنَّ
anna
that
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
سَخَّرَ
sakhara
has subjected
لَكُم
lakum
to you
مَّا
mā
whatever
فِى
fī
(is) in
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ
l-samāwāti
the heavens
وَمَا
wamā
and whatever
فِى
fī
(is) in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
وَأَسْبَغَ
wa-asbagha
and amply bestowed
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
upon you
نِعَمَهُۥ
niʿamahu
His Bounties
ظَـٰهِرَةًۭ
ẓāhiratan
apparent
وَبَاطِنَةًۭ ۗ
wabāṭinatan
and hidden
وَمِنَ
wamina
But of
ٱلنَّاسِ
l-nāsi
the people
مَن
man
(is he) who
يُجَـٰدِلُ
yujādilu
disputes
فِى
fī
about
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
بِغَيْرِ
bighayri
without
عِلْمٍۢ
ʿil'min
knowledge
وَلَا
walā
and not
هُدًۭى
hudan
guidance
وَلَا
walā
and not
كِتَـٰبٍۢ
kitābin
a book
مُّنِيرٍۢ
munīrin
enlightening
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.
Do you not see that Allah has subjected for you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and has completed His apparent and hidden [27] blessings upon you? Yet among people is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge, guidance, or an enlightening [28] Book.
[26]
The Meaning of the Subjugation of the Universe:
There are two meanings of the subjugation of the universe. One is that everything in the universe is a servant to man, and man is the one served. The earth, the seas, water, winds, mountains, the moon, the sun, the stars—these are considered the major elements of the universe. The proof that they are servants to man is that if even one of these things did not exist, man could not survive. But without man, none of these things would be affected in any way. The second meaning is that all the things present on earth, whether they are inanimate objects, plants, or animals, Allah has granted man such intellect that he can bring any of them under his control as he wishes and benefit from them as needed. As for those things that are not related to the earth, such as the sun, moon, stars, and winds, Allah has made such laws for them and bound them with such order and discipline that man can benefit from them. He can properly carry out his daily activities and business, etc. He can know years in advance when a solar or lunar eclipse will occur. In the darkness of land and sea, he can determine the time, routes, and directions, meaning he can even prepare calendars for thousands of years ahead. He can also bring about ever-new inventions, and this is the meaning of the subjugation of the universe. The meaning of the subjugation of the universe is certainly not that man should first try to reach his nearest planet, the moon, and then waste his precious life trying to reach other planets. As a poet has beautifully said:
Tu kar-e-jahan ra niku sakhti
Ke ba asman niz pardakhti?
Meaning: Have you already accomplished all the tasks you had to do in this world so well that now you are concerned with flying to the sky?
[27]
What is Meant by Apparent and Hidden Blessings?
Apparent blessings are those which we can perceive through our five senses, and they are related to our material life and economy, etc. These too are countless. Hidden blessings are those through which our moral training takes place and the purification of the soul occurs. These too are countless, and their source of knowledge is divine revelation. Then there are some blessings that are related to both. For example, we see with our eyes; this eye is a great blessing from Allah. But the faculty of sight itself is a separate thing. Similarly, the power of hearing, the power of digestion, the power of imagination, the power of expulsion, etc.—countless powers are working within the human body. If they continue to function properly, a person remains healthy; if even one of them malfunctions, a person falls ill. That is why it is said that health is a thousand blessings. These are the various kinds of blessings about which Allah Himself has said, "If you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to number them." [14:34, 16:18]
[28] That is, despite Allah's countless blessings, there are some such ungrateful people who begin to argue about Allah, whether Allah even exists or not, or they start disputing about His attributes and powers. [For the explanation of this verse, see footnote 8 on verse 8 of Surah Al-Hajj]
[26]
The Meaning of the Subjugation of the Universe:
There are two meanings of the subjugation of the universe. One is that everything in the universe is a servant to man, and man is the one served. The earth, the seas, water, winds, mountains, the moon, the sun, the stars—these are considered the major elements of the universe. The proof that they are servants to man is that if even one of these things did not exist, man could not survive. But without man, none of these things would be affected in any way. The second meaning is that all the things present on earth, whether they are inanimate objects, plants, or animals, Allah has granted man such intellect that he can bring any of them under his control as he wishes and benefit from them as needed. As for those things that are not related to the earth, such as the sun, moon, stars, and winds, Allah has made such laws for them and bound them with such order and discipline that man can benefit from them. He can properly carry out his daily activities and business, etc. He can know years in advance when a solar or lunar eclipse will occur. In the darkness of land and sea, he can determine the time, routes, and directions, meaning he can even prepare calendars for thousands of years ahead. He can also bring about ever-new inventions, and this is the meaning of the subjugation of the universe. The meaning of the subjugation of the universe is certainly not that man should first try to reach his nearest planet, the moon, and then waste his precious life trying to reach other planets. As a poet has beautifully said:
Tu kar-e-jahan ra niku sakhti
Ke ba asman niz pardakhti?
Meaning: Have you already accomplished all the tasks you had to do in this world so well that now you are concerned with flying to the sky?
[27]
What is Meant by Apparent and Hidden Blessings?
Apparent blessings are those which we can perceive through our five senses, and they are related to our material life and economy, etc. These too are countless. Hidden blessings are those through which our moral training takes place and the purification of the soul occurs. These too are countless, and their source of knowledge is divine revelation. Then there are some blessings that are related to both. For example, we see with our eyes; this eye is a great blessing from Allah. But the faculty of sight itself is a separate thing. Similarly, the power of hearing, the power of digestion, the power of imagination, the power of expulsion, etc.—countless powers are working within the human body. If they continue to function properly, a person remains healthy; if even one of them malfunctions, a person falls ill. That is why it is said that health is a thousand blessings. These are the various kinds of blessings about which Allah Himself has said, "If you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to number them." [14:34, 16:18]
[28] That is, despite Allah's countless blessings, there are some such ungrateful people who begin to argue about Allah, whether Allah even exists or not, or they start disputing about His attributes and powers. [For the explanation of this verse, see footnote 8 on verse 8 of Surah Al-Hajj]
