Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anbya Verse 30

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Did the disbelievers not observe that the heavens and the earth were closed, then We opened them? And We created from water every living thing. Would they still not believe?

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were ˹once˺ one mass then We split them apart?[[ This probably refers to the event commonly known as the Big Bang. ]] And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

Ruwwad Translation Center

Are the disbelievers not aware that the heavens and earth were joined together and then We split them apart? We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

A. J. Arberry

Have not the unbelievers then beheld that the heavens and the earth were a mass all sewn up, and then We unstitched them and of water fashioned every living thing? Will they not believe?

Abdul Haleem

Are the disbelievers not aware that the heavens and the earth used to be joined together and that We ripped them apart, that We made every living thing from water? Will they not believe?

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Have not these who disbelieve considered that the heavens and the earth were closed up, then We rent them? And We have made of water everything living; will they not then believe?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

Abul Ala Maududi

Did the unbelievers (who do not accept the teaching of the Prophet) not realize that the heavens and the earth were one solid mass, then We tore them apart, and We made every living being out of water? Will they, then, not believe (that We created all this)?

Ahmed Ali

Do not these unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were an integrated mass, then We split them and made every living thing from water? Will they not believe even then?

Ahmed Raza Khan

Did not the disbelievers observe that the heavens and the earth were together, so We parted them, and we made every living thing from water? So will they not accept faith?

Ali Quli Qarai

Have the faithless not regarded that the heavens and the earth were interwoven and We unravelled them, and We made every living thing out of water? Will they not then have faith?

Ali Ünal

Do those who disbelieve ever consider that the heavens and the earth were at first one piece, and then We parted them as separate entities; and that We have made every living thing from water? Will they still not come to believe?

Amatul Rahman Omar

Do those who disbelieve not see that the heavens and the earth were (once) one mass all closed up, then We rent them apart. And it is from water that We created all life. Will they not believe (in the face of all this).

English Literal

Did those who disbelieved not see that the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth, they (B) were joined , so We split/ruptured them (B) , and We made/created from the water every thing alive/living, so do they not believe?

Faridul Haque

Did not the disbelievers observe that the heavens and the earth were together, so We parted them, and we made every living thing from water? So will they not accept faith?

Hamid S. Aziz

And whoever of them should say, "Verily, I am God instead of (or besides) Him," such a one We recompense with hell; thus do We repay the wrong-doers.

Hilali & Khan

Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them? And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And whoever of them should say, I am a god besides Him, such a one We recompense with hell. Thus We reward the unjust.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, but We have opened them; and We have made of water everything living, will they not then believe?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and we made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe?

Muhammad Sarwar

Have the unbelievers not ever considered that the heavens and the earth were one piece and that We tore them apart from one another. From water We have created all living things. Will they then have no faith?

Qaribullah & Darwish

Have the unbelievers not seen that the heavens and the earth were sewn up as one (solid) mass, then We unstitched them, and that We made every living thing of water? Will they not believe!

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe

Wahiduddin Khan

Do not those who deny the truth see that the heavens and the earth were joined together and that We then split them asunder? And that We have made every living thing out of water? Will they still not believe?

Talal Itani

Do the disbelievers not see that the heavens and the earth were one mass, and We tore them apart? And We made from water every living thing. Will they not believe?

Tafsir jalalayn

Have they not ([one may] read a-wa-lam or a-lam) realised, [have they not] come to know, those who disbelieve, that the heavens and the earth were closed together and then We parted them, We made seven heavens and seven earths -- or [it is meant] that the heaven was parted and began to rain, when it did not use to do so, and that the earth was parted and began to produce plants, when it did not use to do so; and We made, of water, [the water] that falls from the heaven and that springs from the earth, every living thing?, in the way of plants and otherwise; in other words, water is the cause of such [things] having life. Will they not then believe?, by affirming My Oneness?

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Signs of Allah in the Heavens and the Earth and in the Night and the Day

Here Allah tells of His perfect might and power in His creation and subjugation of all things.

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

Have not those who disbelieve known,

means, those who deny His Divine nature and worship others instead of Him, do they not realize that Allah is the One Who is Independent in His powers of creation and is running the affairs of all things with absolute power. So how can it be appropriate to worship anything else beside Him or to associate others in worship with Him!

أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا

known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them!

Do they not see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, i.e. in the beginning they were all one piece, attached to one another and piled up on top of one another, then He separated them from one another, and made the heavens seven and the earth seven, placing the air between the earth and the lowest heaven. Then He caused rain to fall from the sky and vegetation to grow from the earth.

He says;

وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ أَفَلَ يُوْمِنُونَ



And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe!

meaning, they see with their own eyes how creation develops step by step. All of that is proof of the existence of the Creator Who is in control of all things and is able to do whatever He wills.
In everything there is a Sign of Him, showing that He is One

Sufyan Ath-Thawri narrated from his father from Ikrimah that Ibn Abbas was asked;

"Did the night come first or the day?"

He said,

"Do you think that when the heavens and the earth were joined together, there was anything between them except darkness! Thus you may know that the night came before the day.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn Umar said that;

a man came to him and questioned him about when the heavens and earth were joined together then they were parted.

He said, "Go to that old man (Sheikh) and ask him, then come and tell me what he says to you."

So he went to Ibn Abbas and asked him. Ibn Abbas said;

"Yes, the heavens were joined together and it did not rain, and the earth was joined together and nothing grew. When living beings were created to populate the earth, rain came forth from the heavens and vegetation came forth from the earth."

The man went back to Ibn Umar and told him what had been said.

Ibn Umar said, "Now I know that Ibn Abbas has been given knowledge of the Qur'an. He has spoken the truth, and this is how it was."

Ibn Umar said;"I did not like the daring attitude of Ibn Abbas in his Tafsir of the Qur'an, but now I know that he has been given knowledge of the Qur'an."

Sa`id bin Jubayr said;

"The heavens and the earth were attached to one another, then when the heavens were raised up, the earth became separate from them, and this is their parting which was mentioned by Allah in His Book."

Al-Hasan and Qatadah said,

"They were joined together, then they were separated by this air."

وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ
..

And We have made from water every living thing.

meaning, the origin of every living thing is in water.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said,

"I said;O Messenger of Allah, when I see you I feel happy and content, tell me about everything."

He said,

كُلُّ شَيْءٍ خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاء

"Everything was created from water."

I said, tell me about something which, if I do it, I will enter Paradise."

He said;

أَفْشِ السَّلَمَ

وَأَطْعِمِ الطَّعَامَ

وَصِلِ الاَْرْحَامَ

وَقُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ

ثُمَّ ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ بِسَلَم

Spread (the greeting of) Salam,

feed others,

uphold the ties of kinship, and

stand in prayer at night when people are sleeping.

Then you will enter Paradise in peace.

This chain of narration fulfills the conditions of the Two Sahihs, apart from Abu Maymunah, who is one of the men of the Sunans, his first name was Salim; and At-Tirmidhi classed him as Sahih.