Surah 42

Surah 42:31

"You cannot escape (Him) on the earth, and you have no ally and no helper other than God."
Among the Signs of Allah is the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth Verses 42:29-31
Show Full Scripture Context (42:29-31) — 3 Verses
Verse 29

وَمِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ خَلۡقُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَثَّ فِيهِمَا مِن دَآبَّةٖۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ جَمۡعِهِمۡ إِذَا يَشَآءُ قَدِيرٞ

Among His signs are the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the creatures He has scattered in both of them. He has power over gathering them whenever He pleases.

Verse 30

وَمَآ أَصَٰبَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٖ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتۡ أَيۡدِيكُمۡ وَيَعۡفُواْ عَن كَثِيرٖ

Whatever smiting may smite you is because of what your (own) hands have earned – yet He pardons much.

Verse 31

وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُعۡجِزِينَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِيّٖ وَلَا نَصِيرٖ

You cannot escape (Him) on the earth, and you have no ally and no helper other than God.

{And among His Ayat} the signs which point to His great might and power,

Quoted Scripture
"is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and whatever moving creatures He has dispersed in them both."

means, whatever He has created in them, i.e., in the heavens and the earth.

{and whatever moving creatures} this includes the angels, men, Jinn and all the animals with their different shapes, colors, languages, natures, kinds and types. He has distributed them throughout the various regions of the heavens and earth.

{And He} means, yet despite all that,

Quoted Scripture
"is Able to assemble them whenever He wills."

means, on the Day of Resurrection, He will gather the first and the last of them, and bring all His creatures together in one place where they will all hear the voice of the caller and all of them will be seen clearly; then He will judge between them with justice and truth.

The Cause of Misfortune is Sin

Quoted Scripture
"And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned."

means, 'whatever disasters happen to you, O mankind, are because of sins that you have committed in the past.'

{And He pardons much.} means, of sins; 'He does not punish you for them, rather He forgives you.'

Quoted Scripture
"[And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth](quran/35/45)}."

According to a Sahih Hadith:

«By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, no believer is stricken with fatigue, exhaustion, worry or grief, but Allah will forgive him for some of his sins thereby - even a thorn which pricks him.»

Imam Ahmad recorded that Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say:

«No physical harm befalls a believer, but Allah will expiate for some of his sins because of it.»"

Imam Ahmad also recorded that 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "The Messenger of Allah said:

«If a person commits many sins and has nothing that will expiate for them, Allah will test him with some grief that will expiate them.»"

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 8, Page 592-594)

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.