Surah 51

Surah 51:20

"In the earth (there are) signs for the ones who are certain,"
Allah's Signs on the Earth and in Mankind Verses 51:15-23
Show Full Scripture Context (51:15-23) — 9 Verses
Verse 15

إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّـٰتٖ وَعُيُونٍ

Surely the ones who guard (themselves) will be in (the midst of) gardens and springs,

Verse 16

ءَاخِذِينَ مَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ قَبۡلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُحۡسِنِينَ

taking whatever their Lord has given them. Surely before (this) they were doers of good.

Verse 17

كَانُواْ قَلِيلٗا مِّنَ ٱلَّيۡلِ مَا يَهۡجَعُونَ

Little of the night would they sleep,

Verse 18

وَبِٱلۡأَسۡحَارِ هُمۡ يَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَ

and in the mornings they would ask for forgiveness,

Verse 19

وَفِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقّٞ لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ

and in their wealth (there was) a due (portion) for the beggar and the outcast.

Verse 20

وَفِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ءَايَٰتٞ لِّلۡمُوقِنِينَ

In the earth (there are) signs for the ones who are certain,

Verse 21

وَفِيٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ

and (also) in yourselves. Do you not see?

Verse 22

وَفِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزۡقُكُمۡ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ

And in the sky is your provision and what you are promised.

Verse 23

فَوَرَبِّ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِنَّهُۥ لَحَقّٞ مِّثۡلَ مَآ أَنَّكُمۡ تَنطِقُونَ

By the Lord of the sky and the earth! Surely it is true indeed – (even) as what you (are able to) speak.

After Allah mentioned their quality of performing prayer, He then mentioned their quality of spending in charity and acts of compassion and kindness, {And in their wealth there was the right}, a designated part which they dedicated to the Sa'il and Mahrum. The Sa'il is the poor who begs others, and he has a due right. As for the Mahrum, Ibn 'Abbas and Mujahid said, "He is the poor person who does not receive a stipend." Meaning he does not receive a stipend from the Muslim treasury, nor does he have a means of income, nor a profession. The Mother of the faithful, 'A'ishah may Allah be pleased with her, said about the Mahrum, "He is the displaced, the one who does not have a profession to easily earn an income from." Qatadah and Az-Zuhri: "The Mahrum is the one who does not ask the people for anything." Az-Zuhri added that the Messenger of Allah said, "The poor (Miskin) is not the one who goes round to the people and asks them for a mouthful or two or a date or two. But the poor is the one who does not have enough to satisfy his needs and whose condition is not known to others, so that others may give him something in charity." This Hadith is recorded in the Two Sahihs using another chain of narration.

Allah's Signs on the Earth and in Mankind

Allah the Exalted and the Blessed said next, {And on the earth are signs for those who have faith with certainty.} Allah says that there are signs on earth that testify to the might of the Creator and His boundless ability. These signs include what Allah placed on the earth, the various plants, animals, valleys, mountains, deserts, rivers and oceans. He also created mankind with different languages, colors, intentions and abilities, and a variety among them, differences in the power of understanding and comprehension, their deeds, and ultimately earning happiness or misery. Allah put every organ in their bodies in its rightful place where they most need it to be. So He said; {And also in yourselves. Will you not then see?} Qatadah commented, "He who thinks about his own creation will realize that he was created with flexible joints so that it is easy for him to perform acts of worship."

Allah the Exalted said next, {And in the heaven is your provision,} meaning, rain, {and that which you are promised.} meaning Paradise. This was said by Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and several others. Allah said: {Then by the Lord of the heaven and the earth, it is the truth, just as you can speak.} Allah is swearing by His honorable Self, all of the matters of the Judgement, Resurrection, and Recompense that they have been promised shall certainly occur. Therefore, it is the truth, there being no doubt about it, so do not doubt its coming, just as you do not doubt that you can speak. When he would talk to one of his friends, Mu'adh used to say: "What I am saying is as true as your being here."

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (261-263)

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.