Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 117

Mufti Taqi Usmani

(He is the) Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decides a matter, He simply says to it: “Be”, and it comes to be.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and the earth! When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, “Be!” And it is!

Ruwwad Translation Center

The Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is.

A. J. Arberry

the Creator of the heavens and the earth; and when He decrees a thing, He but says to it 'Be,' and it is.

Abdul Haleem

He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth, and when He decrees something, He says only, ‘Be,’ and it is.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

The Originator of the heavens and the earth; and whensoever He decreeth an affair, He only saith unto it: be; and it becometh.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth; When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it; "Be," and it is.

Abul Ala Maududi

He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth: when He decrees a thing, He merely says, "Be," and there it is.

Ahmed Ali

Creator of the heavens and the earth from nothingness, He has only to say when He wills a thing: "Be", and it is.

Ahmed Raza Khan

The Originator of the heavens and the earth – and when He commands a thing, He only says to it, “Be", and it thereupon happens.

Ali Quli Qarai

the Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decides on a matter, He just says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.

Ali Ünal

The Originator of the heavens and the earth with nothing preceding Him to imitate. When He decrees a thing, He does but say to it "Be!" and it is.

Amatul Rahman Omar

(God is) the Wonderful Originator without depending upon any matter or pattern of the heavens and the earth; and when He issues a decree He does but say to it, `Be´ and it comes to be.

English Literal

Creating marvelously without precedent the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth and if He ordered/accomplished a matter/affair , so but he says to it: "Be." So it will become.

Faridul Haque

The Originator of the heavens and the earth - and when He commands a thing, He only says to it, "Be", and it thereupon happens.

Hamid S. Aziz

The Originator of the heavens and the earth, when He decrees a matter He does but say unto it, "BE," and it is.

Hilali & Khan

The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it: "Be!" - and it is.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! And when He decrees an affair, He says to it only, Be, and it is.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth, and when He decrees an affair, He only says to it, Be, so there it is.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

The Originator of the heavens and the earth! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.

Muhammad Sarwar

God is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. Whenever He decides to do anything, He just commands it to exist and it comes into existence.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Creator of the heavens and the earth! When He decrees a thing, He only says: 'Be' and it is.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it: "Be! ـ and it is.

Wahiduddin Khan

He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth, and when He decrees something, He says only, "Be!" and it is.

Talal Itani

Originator of the heavens and the earth. Whenever He decrees a thing, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes.

Tafsir jalalayn

Creator of the heavens and the earth, making them exist without any exemplary precedent; and when He decrees, wills, a thing, to exist, He but says to it `Be' and it is, that is to say, it becomes (fa-yaknu; a variant reading has fa-yakna, on account of it being the response [in the subjunctive mood] to the jussive statement).

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالَارْضِ

The Badi` (Originator) of the heavens and the earth.

which means, He created them when nothing resembling them existed.

Mujahid and As-Suddi said that;

this is the linguistic meaning, for all new matters are called Bid`ah.

Muslim recorded the Messenger of Allah saying,

فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَة
every innovation (in religion) is a Bid`ah.

There are two types of Bid`ah, religious, as mentioned in the Hadith;

فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَإلَة
every innovation is a Bid`ah and every Bid`ah is heresy.

And there is a linguistic Bid`ah, such as the statement of the Leader of the faithful Umar bin Al-Khattab when he gathered the Muslims to pray the Tarawih prayer in congregation (which was also an earlier practice of the Prophet) and said,

"What a good Bid`ah this is."

Ibn Jarir said,

"Thus the meaning of the Ayat (2;116-117) becomes, `Allah is far more glorious than to have had a son, for He is the Owner of everything that is in the heavens and earth. All testify to His Oneness and to their submissiveness to Him. He is their Creator and Maker. Without created precedence, He shaped the creatures in their current shapes. Allah also bears witness to His servants that Jesus, who some claimed to be Allah's son, is among those who testify to His Oneness. Allah stated that He created the heavens and earth out of nothing and without precedent. Likewise, He created Jesus, the Messiah, with His power and without a father."

This explanation from Ibn Jarir, may Allah have mercy upon him, is very good and correct.

Allah said,

وَإِذَا قَضَى أَمْراً فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ



When He decrees a matter, He only says to it ;"Be! ـ and it is.

thus, demonstrating His perfectly complete ability and tremendous authority; if He decides a matter, He merely orders it to, `Be' and it comes into existence.

Similarly, Allah said,

إِنَّمَأ أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْياً أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be! ـ and it is. (36;82)

إِنَّمَا قَوْلُنَا لِشَىْءٍ إِذَا أَرَدْنَاهُ أَن نَّقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ

Verily, Our Word unto a thing when We intend it, is only that We say unto it;"Be! ـ and it is. (16;40)

and,

وَمَأ أَمْرُنَأ إِلاَّ وَحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ

And Our commandment is but one as the twinkling of an eye. (54;50)

So Allah informed us that He created Jesus by merely saying, "Be!" and he was, as Allah willed;

إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَى عِندَ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ ءَادَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

Verily, the likeness of `Isa (Jesus) before Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him;"Be! ـ and he was. (3;59)