Surah 24

Surah 24:45

"God has created every living creature from water. (There are) some of them who walk on their bellies, and some of them who walk on two feet, and some of them who walk on four. God creates whatever He pleases. Surely God is powerful over everything."
Allah’s Power in His creation of the Animals Verses 24:45
Show Full Scripture Context (24:45) — 1 Verse
Verse 45

وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَآبَّةٖ مِّن مَّآءٖۖ فَمِنۡهُم مَّن يَمۡشِي عَلَىٰ بَطۡنِهِۦ وَمِنۡهُم مَّن يَمۡشِي عَلَىٰ رِجۡلَيۡنِ وَمِنۡهُم مَّن يَمۡشِي عَلَىٰٓ أَرۡبَعٖۚ يَخۡلُقُ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ

God has created every living creature from water. (There are) some of them who walk on their bellies, and some of them who walk on two feet, and some of them who walk on four. God creates whatever He pleases. Surely God is powerful over everything.

Allah mentions His complete and almighty power to create all the different kinds of animals with their various forms, colors and ways of moving and stopping, from one kind of water.

{Of them there are some that creep on their bellies,} like snakes and so on;

{and some that walk on two legs,} like humans and birds;

{and some that walk on four,} like cattle and all kinds of animals. Allah says:

{Allah creates what He wills.} meaning by His power, because what He wills happens and what He does not will does not happen. So he says:

Quoted Scripture
"Verily, Allah is able to do all things."
About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.