سُوْرَةُ يٰسٓ
Surah Yaseen (36) — Ayah 36
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْأَزْوَٰجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنۢبِتُ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿36﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Glory be to Him Who has created all the pairs of that which the earth produces, as well as of their own (human) kind (male and female), and of that which they know not.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
سُبْحَـٰنَ
sub'ḥāna
Glory be
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
(to) the One Who
خَلَقَ
khalaqa
created
ٱلْأَزْوَٰجَ
l-azwāja
(in) pairs
كُلَّهَا
kullahā
all
مِمَّا
mimmā
of what
تُنۢبِتُ
tunbitu
grows
ٱلْأَرْضُ
l-arḍu
the earth
وَمِنْ
wamin
and of
أَنفُسِهِمْ
anfusihim
themselves
وَمِمَّا
wamimmā
and of what
لَا
lā
not
يَعْلَمُونَ
yaʿlamūna
they know
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.
36. Exalted is He who created all pairs from what the earth grows, and from themselves [34], and from things they do not know.
[34]
The Various Meanings of "Zauj" and Their Breadth:
"Azwaaj" has several meanings; for example, it is used for both male and female. A man is a "zauj" for a woman, and a woman is a "zauj" for a man. Allah Almighty has naturally placed an attraction between the two. From the union of these two "zauj," the process of further creation continues. And this process is not only found in animals but also in plants. There are some trees that even common people know about; for example, date and pomegranate trees have both male and female types. When the season for fruiting comes, the winds carry the pollen from the male trees and deposit it onto the female trees, resulting in further production. And in every type of plant, this system of male and female exists, whether humans have discovered it yet or not. Then this process is found in minerals, even within a single atom of matter. It also contains positive and negative forces, which are attracted to each other. Secondly, the word "zauj" is also used for things that resemble each other; for example, one shoe is the "zauj" of the other shoe. And this meaning is also found in the Quran, as it is said: ﴿وَاٰخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهٖ أزْوَاج﴾ [38: 58] (that is, other things similar to it). And the third meaning of "azwaaj" is for things that are opposites of each other, such as day is the "zauj" of night and night of day, or shade of sunlight and sunlight of shade, or light of darkness and darkness of light. Thus, the concept of "zauj" is so broad that it is found in all things, in addition to plants and animals,, whether you know of it or not. At the beginning of this verse, Allah Almighty used the word "Subhaanalladhee," which means that only Allah Almighty is the One who is free from every kind of "zauj." He has neither any rival nor any equal. Because rivalry or similarity can only exist between things that share something in common to some extent, but there is no real commonality between the Creator and the creation. And the second aspect is that in all the types of shirk (polytheism) found in the world, in every type, Allah Almighty is accused of some deficiency, weakness, flaw, or imperfection. Allah Almighty, by saying "Subhaan," has refuted every kind of polytheistic belief of the polytheists.
[34]
The Various Meanings of "Zauj" and Their Breadth:
"Azwaaj" has several meanings; for example, it is used for both male and female. A man is a "zauj" for a woman, and a woman is a "zauj" for a man. Allah Almighty has naturally placed an attraction between the two. From the union of these two "zauj," the process of further creation continues. And this process is not only found in animals but also in plants. There are some trees that even common people know about; for example, date and pomegranate trees have both male and female types. When the season for fruiting comes, the winds carry the pollen from the male trees and deposit it onto the female trees, resulting in further production. And in every type of plant, this system of male and female exists, whether humans have discovered it yet or not. Then this process is found in minerals, even within a single atom of matter. It also contains positive and negative forces, which are attracted to each other. Secondly, the word "zauj" is also used for things that resemble each other; for example, one shoe is the "zauj" of the other shoe. And this meaning is also found in the Quran, as it is said: ﴿وَاٰخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهٖ أزْوَاج﴾ [38: 58] (that is, other things similar to it). And the third meaning of "azwaaj" is for things that are opposites of each other, such as day is the "zauj" of night and night of day, or shade of sunlight and sunlight of shade, or light of darkness and darkness of light. Thus, the concept of "zauj" is so broad that it is found in all things, in addition to plants and animals,, whether you know of it or not. At the beginning of this verse, Allah Almighty used the word "Subhaanalladhee," which means that only Allah Almighty is the One who is free from every kind of "zauj." He has neither any rival nor any equal. Because rivalry or similarity can only exist between things that share something in common to some extent, but there is no real commonality between the Creator and the creation. And the second aspect is that in all the types of shirk (polytheism) found in the world, in every type, Allah Almighty is accused of some deficiency, weakness, flaw, or imperfection. Allah Almighty, by saying "Subhaan," has refuted every kind of polytheistic belief of the polytheists.
