Al-Qur'an Surah Fatir Verse 11

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Allah has created you from dust, then from a drop of semen, then He made you couples. No female conceives (a baby) nor gives birth (to it) without His knowledge; and no aged person is made to advance in age, nor is a part curtailed from his age, but all this is (recorded) in a book. Surely all this is easy for Allah.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And ˹it is˺ Allah ˹Who˺ created you from dust,[[ Created your father, Adam, from dust. ]] then ˹developed you˺ from a sperm-drop, then made you into pairs.[[ Males and females. ]] No female ever conceives or delivers without His knowledge. And no one’s life is made long or cut short but is ˹written˺ in a Record.[[ See footnote for {33:6}.]] That is certainly easy for Allah.

Ruwwad Translation Center

It is Allah Who created you from dust, then from a drop of semen, then He made you into pairs. No female conceives nor gives birth without His knowledge. None is given long life or cut short of his life except that it is in a Record. That is surely easy for Allah.

A. J. Arberry

God created you of dust then of a sperm-drop, then He made you pairs. No female bears or brings forth, save with His knowledge; and none is given long life who is given long life neither is any diminished in his life, but it is in a Book. Surely that is easy for God.

Abdul Haleem

It is God who created you from dust and later from a drop of fluid; then He made you into two sexes; no female conceives or gives birth without His knowledge; no person grows old or has his life cut short, except in accordance with a Record: all this is easy for God.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And Allah created you of dust, then of a seed; then He made you pairs. No female beareth or bringeth forth but with His knowledge. And no aged man growth old, nor is aught diminished of his life, but it is in a Book; verily for Allah that is easy.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And Allah did create you from dust; then from a sperm-drop; then He made you in pairs. And no female conceives, or lays down (her load), but with His knowledge. Nor is a man long-lived granted length of days, nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Decree (ordained). All this is easy to Allah.

Abul Ala Maududi

Allah created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, then He made you into pairs. No female conceives, nor delivers (a child) except with His knowledge. None is given a long life nor is any diminished in his life but it is written in a Book. Surely that is quite easy for Allah.

Ahmed Ali

It is God who created you from dust, then from a sperm, then formed you into pairs. Neither does a female conceive nor gives birth without His knowledge; nor do the old grow older or become younger in years but in accordance with the law (of nature). Indeed the law of God works inevitably.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And Allah created you from clay, then a drop of liquid, then made you as couples; and no female conceives or gives birth except with His knowledge; and every aged being that is given the age, and every one whose life is kept short – all this is in a Book; indeed this is easy for Allah.

Ali Quli Qarai

Allah created you from dust, then from a drop of [seminal] fluid, then He made you mates. No female conceives or delivers except with His knowledge, and no elderly person advances in years, nor is anything diminished of his life, but it is [recorded] in a Book. That is indeed easy for Allah.

Ali Ünal

(O humankind:) God created you from earth (in the beginning, and the material origin of every one of you is also earth), and then from a drop of (seminal) fluid, and then He has fashioned you in pairs (as either of the two sexes, making you mates of one another). And no female carries or gives birth, save with His knowledge. No one long-lived has been granted a long life, nor another one not so long-lived has been appointed a shorter life but is recorded in a Book. Surely that is easy for God.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And Allâh created you out of dust and then from a drop of fluid and then made you pairs (- male and female). And no female conceives (a child) nor does she give birth (to it) but it is in accordance with His (- the Creator´s) knowledge. And no one who is granted long life gets his life prolonged or gets it reduced but (all this) is in (conformity with) some law. Verily, it is easy for Allâh (to impose such laws).

English Literal

And God created you from dust/earth then from a drop/male`s or female`s secretion , then He made you pairs/couples , and no female conceives/(is) pregnant with and nor gives birth/drops except with His knowledge, and no long lived/aged be granted long life, and nor be reduced (shortened) from his lifetime except in a Book/fate/term , that truly that (is) on God easy/little .

Faridul Haque

And Allah created you from clay, then a drop of liquid, then made you as couples; and no female conceives or gives birth except with His knowledge; and every aged being that is given the age, and every one whose life is kept short – all this is in a Book; indeed this is easy for Allah.

Hamid S. Aziz

Whoever desires power (or honour), then to Allah belongs the power (or honour) wholly. Unto Him do ascend good words, and good deeds does He exalt; and as for those who plan evil deeds, they shall have a severe chastisement; and their plans shall fail.

Hilali & Khan

And Allah did create you (Adam) from dust, then from Nutfah (male and female discharge semen drops i.e. Adam's offspring), then He made you pairs (male and female). And no female conceives or gives birth, but with His Knowledge. And no aged man is granted a length of life, nor is a part cut off from his life (or another man's life), but is in a Book (AlLauh AlMahfuz) Surely, that is easy for Allah.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Whoever desires might, then to Allah belongs the might wholly. To Him do ascend the goodly words, and the goodly deed -- He exalts it. And those who plan evil -- for them is a severe chastisement. And their plan will perish.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And Allah created you of dust, then of the life-germ, then He made you pairs; and no female bears, nor does she bring forth, except with His knowledge; and no one whose life is lengthened has his life lengthened, nor is aught diminished of one's life, but it is all in a book; surely this is easy to Allah.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Allah created you from dust, then from a little fluid, then He made you pairs (the male and female). No female beareth or bringeth forth save with His knowledge. And no-one groweth old who groweth old, nor is aught lessened of his life, but it is recorded in a Book, Lo! that is easy for Allah.

Muhammad Sarwar

God created you from clay which He then turned into a living germ and made you into pairs. No female conceives or delivers without His knowledge. No one grows older nor can anything be reduced from one's life without having its record in the Book. This is not at all difficult for God.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Allah created you from dust, then from a (sperm) drop. Then he made you pairs. No female conceives or is delivered except by His Knowledge. He whose life is long, whatsoever is increased or decreased of his age is in a Clear Book. Surely, that is easy for Allah.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And Allah did create you from dust, then from Nutfah, then He made you pairs. And no female conceives or gives birth but with His knowledge. And no aged man is granted a length of life nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book. Surely, that is easy for Allah.

Wahiduddin Khan

God has created you from dust, then from a drop of semen and then divided you into pairs; no female conceives or gives birth without His knowledge; and no one's life is prolonged or shortened, but it is recorded in a Book. That surely is easy for God.

Talal Itani

God created you from dust, then from a small drop; then He made you pairs. No female conceives, or delivers, except with His knowledge. No living thing advances in years, or its life is shortened, except it be in a Record. That is surely easy for God.

Tafsir jalalayn

And God created you from dust, by having created your father Adam from it, then from a drop of [seminal] fluid, in other words, from sperm, by creating his seed from it; then He made you pairs, males and females. And no female bears or brings forth except with His knowledge (ill bi-`ilmihi is a circumstantial qualifier, in other words, `[except] that it is known by Him') and no long-living person is given long life, in other words, the life of none is increased for one who has a long life, nor is anything diminished of his life, in other words, [of the life of] that same long-living person or some other long-living person, but it is [recorded] in a Book, namely, the Preserved Tablet. Surely that is easy for God.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ



And Allah did create you from dust, then from Nutfah,

means, He initiated the creation of your father Adam from dust, then He created his offspring from semen of worthless water.

ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا

then He made you pairs.

means, male and female, as a kindness and a mercy from Him, He gave you partners from your own kind, that you may find repose in them.

وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنثَى وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلاَّ بِعِلْمِهِ

And no female conceives or gives birth but with His knowledge.

means, He knows about that and nothing is hidden from Him at all, but,

وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلاَّ يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِى ظُلُمَـتِ الاٌّرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلاَّ فِى كِتَـبٍ مُّبِينٍ

not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record. (6;59)

We have already discussed in this respect in the Ayah;

اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَى وَمَا تَغِيضُ الاٌّرْحَامُ وَمَا تَزْدَادُ وَكُلُّ شَىْءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقْدَارٍ

عَـلِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ

Allah knows what every female bears, and by how much the wombs fall short or exceed. Everything with Him is in (due) proportion. All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Most Great, the Most High. (13;8-9)

وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَابٍ

And no aged man is granted a length of life nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book.

means, some of those sperm are granted a long life, which He knows and it is recorded with Him in the First Book.

وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ
(nor is a part cut off from his life), Here the pronoun (his) refers to mankind in general, not to a specific person, because the long life which is recorded in the Book and is known by Allah will not be cut off.

It was reported via Al-Awfi that Ibn Abbas said concerning the Ayah,

وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَابٍ

إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ


And no aged man is granted a length of life nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book. Surely, that is easy for Allah.

There is no one for whom Allah has decreed a long life but he will reach the age that has been decreed for him. When he reaches the time that has been decreed for him, he will not surpass it. And there is no one for whom Allah has decreed a short life but it will end when he reaches the age that has been decreed for him.

Allah says;

وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَابٍ

إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ


nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book. Surely, that is easy for Allah.

He said, "That is recorded in a Book with Him."

This was also the view of Ad-Dahhak bin Muzahim.

On the other hand, some of them said,

"The phrase
وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّر
(And no aged man is granted a length of life) means, what He decrees for him of life, and

وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّر
(nor is a part cut off from his life) means, his time is constantly decreasing.

All of this is known to Allah year after year, month after month, week after week, day after day, hour after hour. Everything is written with Allah in His Book.

This was reported by Ibn Jarir from Abu Malik, and was also the view of As-Suddi and Ata Al-Khurasani.

In the Tafsir of this Ayah, An-Nasa'i recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

"I heard the Messenger of Allah say;

مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يُبْسَطَ لَهُ فِي رِزْقِهِ وَيُنْسَأَ لَهُ فِي أَثَرِهِ فَلْيَصِلْ رَحِمَه

Whoever would like to have ample provision and a long life, let him uphold the ties of kinship."

It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud.

إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ



Surely, that is easy for Allah.

means, that is very easy for Him, and He has detailed knowledge of all His creation, for His knowledge encompasses all things, and nothing at all is hidden from Him