Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 1

Mufti Taqi Usmani

All praise belongs to Allah who created the heavens and the earth, and made darkness and light; yet those who disbelieve equate (others) with their Lord.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

All praise is for Allah Who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light.[[ “Light” is always used in the Quran in the singular (nûr), whereas “darkness” is used in the plural (ẓulumât). Nûr is usually used in a metaphorical sense to refer to true guidance, whereas ẓulumât refers to different forms of misguidance.]] Yet the disbelievers set up equals to their Lord ˹in worship˺.

Ruwwad Translation Center

All praise is for Allah Who created the heavens and earth, and made darkness and light. Yet those who disbelieve set up equals to their Lord.

A. J. Arberry

Praise belongs to God who created the heavens and the earth and appointed the shadows and light; then the unbelievers ascribe equals to their Lord.

Abdul Haleem

Praise belongs to God who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light; yet the disbelievers set up equals to their Lord!

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

All praise unto Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and made the darknesses and the light, yet those who disbelieve equalise others with their Lord.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Praise be Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and made the darkness and the light. Yet those who reject Faith hold (others) as equal, with their Guardian-Lord.

Abul Ala Maududi

All praise is for Allah alone, Who created the heavens and the earth, and brought into being light and darkness, and yet those who have rejected the call of the Truth ascribe others to be equals to their Lord.

Ahmed Ali

ALL PRAISE BE to God who created the heavens and the earth, and ordained darkness and light. Yet the unbelievers make the others equal of their Lord.

Ahmed Raza Khan

All praise is to Allah, Who has created the heavens and the earth, and has created darkness and light; yet the disbelievers appoint equals (false deities) to their Lord!

Ali Quli Qarai

All praise belongs to Allah who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Yet the faithless equate [others] with their Lord.

Ali Ünal

All praise and gratitude are for God, Who has created the heavens and the earth, and (as a dimension of their existence and result of their movement) brought into being veils of darkness and the light. Yet those who disbelieve ascribe equals to their Lord (Who raises, sustains, and maintains them such things as idols, certain celestial bodies, and certain people).

Amatul Rahman Omar

ALL type of perfect and true praise belongs to Allâh who created the heavens and the earth and brought into being all kinds of darkness and the light. Yet, inspite of this, those who disbelieve ascribe equals to their Lord.

English Literal

The praise/gratitude (is) to God, who created the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth, and He made/created the darknesses and the light, then those who disbelieved with their Lord make equals (to Him).

Faridul Haque

All praise is to Allah, Who has created the heavens and the earth, and has created darkness and light; yet the disbelievers appoint equals (false deities) to their Lord!

Hamid S. Aziz

He it is who created you from clay; then He decreed a term - a term fixed with Him. And yet still you doubt.

Hilali & Khan

All praises and thanks be to Allah, Who (Alone) created the heavens and the earth, and originated the darkness and the light, yet those who disbelieve hold others as equal with their Lord.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever is in them; and He is Possessor of power over all things.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

All praise is due to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light; yet those who disbelieve set up equals with their Lord.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Praise be to Allah, Who hath created the heavens and the earth, and hath appointed darkness and light. Yet those who disbelieve ascribe rivals unto their Lord.

Muhammad Sarwar

Only God Who has created the heavens, the earth, darkness, and light deserves all praise. The disbelievers consider other things equal to Him.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Praise is due to Allah, who has created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light. Yet the unbelievers make (others) equal with their Lord.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

All praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and originated the darkness and the light, yet those who disbelieve hold others as equal with their Lord.

Wahiduddin Khan

Praise be to God, who has created the heavens and the earth and brought into being darkness and light. Yet those who deny the truth set up equals to their Lord!

Talal Itani

Praise be to God, Who created the heavens and the earth, and made the darkness and the light. Yet those who disbelieve ascribe equals to their Lord.

Tafsir jalalayn

Praise, which means to describe in beautiful terms, be, [ever] established, to God; is this meant to be informative, so that one believes in it? Or, is it meant as a eulogy, or both? These are three possibilities, the most likely of which is the last, as the Shaykh [Jall al-Dn al-Mahall] states in [his commentary on] srat al- Kahf [Q. 18;1]; Who created the heavens and the earth -- He singles out these two for mention because for the observer they constitute the most awesome [visible] creation; and He appointed, He created, darknesses and light, that is, every darkness (zulma) and every light; the use of the plural only in the case of the former is because it [darkness] has many causes; and this is one of the proofs of His Oneness; then those who disbelieve, despite the existence of this proof, ascribe equals to their Lord, they worship others equally.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

All Praise is Due to Allah for His Glorious Ability and Great Power

Allah praises Himself;

الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالَارْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ

All praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and originated the darkness and the light,

Allah praises and glorifies His Most Honorable Self for creating the heavens and earth, as a dwelling for His servants, and for making the darkness and the light to benefit them in the night and the day.

In this Ayah, Allah describes darkness in the plural, Zulumat (where Zulmah is singular for darkness), while describing the light in the singular, An-Nur, because An-Nur is more honored.

In other Ayat, Allah said,

ظِلَـلُهُ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ

To the right and to the lefts. (16;48)

Near the end of this Surah, Allah also said;

وَأَنَّ هَـذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ

And verily, this is my straight path, so follow it, and follow no (other) ways, for they will separate you away from His way. (6;153)

Allah said next,

ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِم يَعْدِلُونَ



Yet those who disbelieve hold others as equal with their Lord.

meaning, in spite of all this, some of Allah's servants disbelieve in Him and hold others as partners and rivals with Him. Some of Allah's servants claimed a wife and a son for Allah, hallowed be He far above what they attribute to Him.

Allah's statement