Al-Qur'an Surah Ash-Shuraa Verse 50

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Or He combines for them couples, both males and females, and makes whom He wills barren. Surely, He is All-Knowing, Very-Powerful.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

or grants both, sons and daughters, ˹to whoever He wills˺, and leaves whoever He wills infertile. He is indeed All-Knowing, Most Capable.

Ruwwad Translation Center

or grants them males and females; and He leaves whom He wills barren. Indeed, He is All-Knowing, Most Capable.

A. J. Arberry

or He couples them, both males and females; and He makes whom He will barren. Surely He is All-knowing, All-powerful.

Abdul Haleem

male to whoever He will, or both male and female, and He makes whoever He will barren: He is all knowing and all powerful.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Or He conjoineth them males and females; and He maketh barren whomsoever He will; verily He is Knower, Petent.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Or He bestows both males and females, and He leaves barren whom He will; for He is full of Knowledge and Power.

Abul Ala Maududi

or grants them a mix of males and females, and causes whomever He pleases to be barren. He is All- Knowing, All-Powerful.

Ahmed Ali

On some He bestows both sons and daughters, and some He leaves issueless. He is all-knowing and all-powerful.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Or may mix them, the sons and daughters; and may make barren whomever He wills; indeed He is All Knowing, Able.

Ali Quli Qarai

or He combines them males and females, and makes sterile whomever He wishes. Indeed, He is all-knowing, all-powerful.

Ali Ünal

Or He mingles them, both sons and daughters (granted to whom He wills); and He leaves barren whom He wills. Surely He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Or (to some) He grants mixed - sons and daughters, and He makes whom He will barren (of having a child). Indeed, He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

English Literal

Or He gets them married/couples males and females, and He makes/creates whom He wills/wants infertile, that He truly is knowledgeable, capable/able.

Faridul Haque

Or may mix them, the sons and daughters; and may make barren whomever He wills; indeed He is All Knowing, Able.

Hamid S. Aziz

Or He mingles them, male and female; and He makes barren whom He wills; verily, He is the Knower, Powerful.

Hilali & Khan

Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Verily, He is the All-Knower and is Able to do all things.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He pleases. He grants females to whom He pleases and grants males to whom He pleases,

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Or He makes them of both sorts, male and female; and He makes whom He pleases barren; surely He is the Knowing, the Powerful.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Or He mingleth them, males and females, and He maketh barren whom He will. Lo! He is Knower, Powerful.

Muhammad Sarwar

offspring to whomever He wants. He causes whomever He wants to be childless. He is All-Knowing and All-Powerful.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Or, He couples them, both males and females, and to others, if He will, He makes them barren. Surely, He is the Knower, the Powerful.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Verily, He is the All-Knower and is Able (to do all things).

Wahiduddin Khan

or both male and female, and He leaves whoever He will barren; He is all-knowing and all powerful.

Talal Itani

Or He combines them together, males and females; and He renders whomever He wills sterile. He is Knowledgeable and Capable.

Tafsir jalalayn

Or He combines them, that is to say, [or] He makes them, males and females; and He makes whomever He will infertile, such that she is unable to conceive or he cannot have a child. Surely He is Knower, of what He creates, Powerful, in [bringing about] whatever He will.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

أَوْ يُزَوِّجُهُمْ ذُكْرَانًا وَإِنَاثًا

Or He bestows both males and females,

means, He gives to whomsoever He wills both males and females, sons and daughters.

Al-Baghawi said,

"Like Muhammad."

وَيَجْعَلُ مَن يَشَاء عَقِيمًا

and He renders barren whom He wills.

means, so that he has no children at all.

Al-Baghawi said,

"Like Yahya and Isa, peace be upon them."

So people are divided into four categories;some are given daughters, some are given sons, some are given both sons and daughters, and some are not given either sons or daughters, but they are rendered barren, with no offspring.

إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ

Verily, He is the All-Knower,

means, He knows who deserves to be in which of these categories.

قَدِيرٌ



and is Able (to do all things).

means, to do whatever He wills and to differentiate between people in this manner.

This issue is similar to that referred to in the Ayah where Allah says of Isa, peace be upon him;

وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ ءَايَةً لِّلْنَّاسِ

And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind. (19;21)

i.e., proof for them of His power, for He created people in four different ways.
Adam, peace be upon him, was created from clay, from neither a male nor a female.
Hawwa', peace be upon her, was created from a male without a female.

All other people, besides Isa, peace be upon him, were created from male and female,

and this sign of Allah was completed with the creation of Isa bin Maryam, may peace be upon them both, who was created from a female without a male. Allah says;

وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ ءَايَةً لِّلْنَّاسِ

And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind. (19;21)

This issue has to do with parents, whilst the previous issue has to do with children, and in each case there are four categories. Glory be to the All-Knower Who is Able to do all things