سُوْرَةُ الزُّخْرُفِ
Surah Az-Zukhruf (43) — Ayah 10
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ﴿10﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Who has made for you the earth like a bed, and has made for you roads therein, in order that you may find your way.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
The One Who
جَعَلَ
jaʿala
made
لَكُمُ
lakumu
for you
ٱلْأَرْضَ
l-arḍa
the earth
مَهْدًۭا
mahdan
a bed
وَجَعَلَ
wajaʿala
and made
لَكُمْ
lakum
for you
فِيهَا
fīhā
therein
سُبُلًۭا
subulan
roads
لَّعَلَّكُمْ
laʿallakum
so that you may
تَهْتَدُونَ
tahtadūna
(be) guided
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.
10. He who made the earth a cradle [8] for you, and made pathways [9] for you therein, so that you may find your way.
[8]
How is the Earth a Cradle?
A child rests and sleeps very comfortably in a cradle, swaying gently. This is because the movement of the cradle is uniform. Exactly the same is the case with the earth, which is a very large, massive sphere. And it is suspended in the vast expanse of space, revolving at a tremendous speed of thousands of miles per minute. Yet, even in this rapid movement, there is uniformity. Because of this, you do not even feel its motion. If, from within it, a volcano or some combustible material were to erupt and an earthquake were to occur, your life would immediately be in danger, and you would begin to remember your Lord. And if, God forbid, there were any irregularity in its movement, your destruction would be certain. It is only Allah who, by keeping this mighty sphere under His control, has made it as comfortable as a cradle for you. You walk, move about, and live on it with great peace and tranquility.
[9]
Two Meanings of Finding the Way Through Paths:
When Allah Almighty made the earth, He did not make it uniform. There are depressions in some places, elevations in others; mountains in some places, and sand dunes in others. Then, even the heights of these mountains are not uniform. There are cuts and passes in some places. By crossing these, a person can go from one mountain to another or to another region. Then, He made valleys in these mountains, which are the pathways for water. Paths for walking were made along these passages. Then, countless distinguishing signs were made on the earth. The benefit of all these things is that, with the help of these signs and paths, a person can travel from one part of the world to another and does not get lost. If such signs did not exist and the whole earth were uniform, a person would neither be able to travel nor could paths be made. Although it is humans who make the paths, since the means for the paths are created by Allah Almighty, He directly attributed them to Himself. This verse has two meanings. One is clear from the translation, and the other is that by reflecting on these distinguishing signs, you may find the path of guidance and attain the recognition of Allah Almighty.
[8]
How is the Earth a Cradle?
A child rests and sleeps very comfortably in a cradle, swaying gently. This is because the movement of the cradle is uniform. Exactly the same is the case with the earth, which is a very large, massive sphere. And it is suspended in the vast expanse of space, revolving at a tremendous speed of thousands of miles per minute. Yet, even in this rapid movement, there is uniformity. Because of this, you do not even feel its motion. If, from within it, a volcano or some combustible material were to erupt and an earthquake were to occur, your life would immediately be in danger, and you would begin to remember your Lord. And if, God forbid, there were any irregularity in its movement, your destruction would be certain. It is only Allah who, by keeping this mighty sphere under His control, has made it as comfortable as a cradle for you. You walk, move about, and live on it with great peace and tranquility.
[9]
Two Meanings of Finding the Way Through Paths:
When Allah Almighty made the earth, He did not make it uniform. There are depressions in some places, elevations in others; mountains in some places, and sand dunes in others. Then, even the heights of these mountains are not uniform. There are cuts and passes in some places. By crossing these, a person can go from one mountain to another or to another region. Then, He made valleys in these mountains, which are the pathways for water. Paths for walking were made along these passages. Then, countless distinguishing signs were made on the earth. The benefit of all these things is that, with the help of these signs and paths, a person can travel from one part of the world to another and does not get lost. If such signs did not exist and the whole earth were uniform, a person would neither be able to travel nor could paths be made. Although it is humans who make the paths, since the means for the paths are created by Allah Almighty, He directly attributed them to Himself. This verse has two meanings. One is clear from the translation, and the other is that by reflecting on these distinguishing signs, you may find the path of guidance and attain the recognition of Allah Almighty.
