Ash-Shuraa · Makki · ayah 12 of 53

Ash-Shuraa 42:12

لَهُۥ مَقَالِيدُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

“To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. He extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. Indeed He is, of all things, Knowing.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The keys to every storehouse are His, so plenty and scarcity both come from One who knows exactly what each person can carry.

A reflection

The key card that stopped working

"To Him belong the maqālīd of the heavens and the earth." The commentaries explain the word as keys, or storehouses. One quotes an early grammarian: whoever owns the keys owns the treasuries. Another describes what is behind the doors. Rain and plants, mercy and provision. In His hand are the locks and keys of good and harm. What He opens of mercy, none can hold back; what He holds back, none can release (35:2).

The root has its own picture. Qalada was to twist a rope, and a qilāda was what was hung round a neck. From the same letters came the iqlīd, a key.

Picture a businessman on a long work trip, staying in a smart hotel. For a week his key card opens the room, the gym, the lounge on the top floor. He starts to feel at home. On the last morning he goes back for a forgotten charger. The card flashes red. He has checked out. Nothing about the card has changed. The system behind it simply no longer recognises him.

Most of what we think of as "our" keys work like that card. A job opens doors for us, until it ends. Health opens a hundred daily things, until it fails. A network of friends opens opportunities, until people move on. The keys always belonged to someone else.

The ego bristles at this. We like to believe our skill, our effort, our cleverness unlocked what we have. They did play a part. But behind every door was a storehouse we did not fill.

Some ask why God would keep all provision in His own hand. Does He enjoy holding people dependent? The commentaries point elsewhere. He knows whom plenty will improve and whom it will ruin, and He opens and closes accordingly. It is not about His need for control. It is about our need for the right measure.

So hold what you have lightly, and turn to the One who keeps the keys.

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.