Al-Isra · Makki · ayah 99 of 111

Al-Isra 17:99

۞ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلًا لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَأَبَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ إِلَّا كُفُورًا

“Do they not see that Allāh, who created the heavens and earth, is [the one] Able to create the likes of them? And He has appointed for them a term, about which there is no doubt. But the wrongdoers refuse except disbelief.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The Maker of the heavens and the earth can make humans again and has fixed their term, yet the wrongdoers would accept nothing but denial.

A reflection

He could make others in your place

The ayah opens with a question. Have they not seen that Allah, who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create the like of them?

One commentary reads 'seen' as 'known'. Another reads it as seeing with the eyes of the heart: a mind that looks at the sky and draws the conclusion. A third sets the two sides of the comparison in plain words. The heavens and the earth in their greatness and strength. Human beings in their smallness and weakness.

A classical theologian records two readings of the like of them. The first, which most prefer, is that He can create them again. The second is sharper. He is able to create other servants in their place, who would affirm His oneness and leave these doubts behind. The Quran says as much elsewhere: If He wills, He can remove you and bring a new creation (14:19).

Even if the first reading is the main one, the second holds up a mirror to the ego. Picture a man who walks out of the family's Eid planning after an argument. He is sure nothing will happen without his car and his contacts. Eid comes. His cousins hire a minibus, an aunt borrows a hall, and the lunch is the happiest in years. He watches the photos arrive on his phone, one by one.

Most of us carry a quiet belief that things depend on us. In small ways they do, and that is a gift. But the ayah widens the frame until the gift is seen for what it is. Allah created the heavens without our help, and He is not waiting for our agreement.

Is this Allah boasting of His size to belittle us? Boasting is for those who need to be noticed. Allah is free of need of all the worlds (29:6). The comparison is given for our sake. A proud heart cannot hear about resurrection, but a humbled one can. The ego shrinks, and then the argument can finally land.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.