Al-Qur'an Surah Al-A'la Verse 3

Mufti Taqi Usmani

and who determined a measure (for everything), then guided (it),

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

and Who ordained precisely and inspired accordingly,

Ruwwad Translation Center

and Who determined [the creation] then guided them,

A. J. Arberry

who determined and guided,

Abdul Haleem

who determined their destinies and guided them;

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And Who hath disposed and then guided,

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Who hath ordained laws. And granted guidance;

Abul Ala Maududi

Who determined and guided them,

Ahmed Ali

Who determines and directs,

Ahmed Raza Khan

And the One Who kept proper measure and then guided.

Ali Quli Qarai

who determined and guided,

Ali Ünal

And Who determines (a particular life, nature, and goal for each creature), and guides (it toward the fulfillment of that goal);

Amatul Rahman Omar

Who determines (the capacities and faculties) and furnishes them with (appropriate) guidance to achieve the final goal.

English Literal

And who predestined/evaluated , so He guided.

Faridul Haque

And the One Who kept proper measure and then guided.

Hamid S. Aziz

Who ordains Laws and Guides,

Hilali & Khan

And Who has measured (preordainments for each and everything even to be blessed or wretched); then guided (i.e. showed mankind the right as well as wrong paths, and guided the animals to pasture);

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And Who brings forth herbage,

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And Who makes (things) according to a measure, then guides (them to their goal),

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Who measureth, then guideth;

Muhammad Sarwar

decreed their destinies, and provided them with guidance.

Qaribullah & Darwish

who has ordained and guided,

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And Who has measured; and then guided.

Wahiduddin Khan

who determines the nature [of all that exists], and guided it accordingly;

Talal Itani

He who measures and guides.

Tafsir jalalayn

and Who determined, what He wants, and guided, to what He had determined of good or evil,

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

And Who has measured; and then guided.

Mujahid said,

"He guided man to distress and happiness, and he guided the cattle to their pastures."

This Ayah is similar to what Allah has said about Musa's statement to Fir`awn,

رَبُّنَا الَّذِى أَعْطَى كُلَّ شَىءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَى

Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright. (20;50)

meaning, He decreed a set measure and guided the creation to it.

This is just as is confirmed in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abdullah bin `Amr that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ اللهَ قَدَّرَ مَقَادِيرَ الْخَلَيِقِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ السَّمَواتِ وَالاَْرْضَ بِخَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاء

Verily, Allah ordained the measure of all creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was over the water.

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَالَّذِي أَخْرَجَ الْمَرْعَى