An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 126 of 176

An-Nisa 4:126

وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّحِيطًا

“And to Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And ever is Allāh, of all things, encompassing.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah, and Allah has always encompassed every single thing.

A reflection

You are in the inventory too

Wa-li-llāhi mā fī al-samāwāti wa-mā fī al-arḍ: and to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth.

One classical commentator notices a small word. The ayah says mā, 'whatever', not man, 'whoever'. When a whole class of things is meant, he explains, Arabic uses mā even though thinking beings are included. So the stars, the stones, the cattle, and you, are listed in one breath. All of it, His.

That should shrink the ego quietly. We like to think of ourselves as owners: my house, my career, my body, my plans. This ayah puts the owner into the inventory.

Picture a billionaire's private museum. Paintings, sculptures, rare manuscripts, each with a small card and a catalogue number. In the last room hangs his own portrait. Beside it, the same small card, the same kind of number. The man who owned everything is himself one more item on the list.

The commentators read the ownership three ways: as kingship, as creation, as servanthood. Everything is His by right, made by Him, and subject to Him.

Does Allah need to announce this, as if seeking credit? No. He is free of all need (35:15). One classical commentator says the very point here is that He took Ibrahim as friend not from need. How could the Owner of everything need anyone? The announcement is for us. It corrects our sense of size.

And once you know you are owned by the Most Merciful, being in His inventory stops feeling like a loss. It feels like being kept.

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.