Transliteration:( Wallaahu khalaqakum min turaabin summa min nutfatin summa ja'alakum azwaajaa; wa maa tahmilu min unsaa wa laa tada'u illaa bi'ilmih; wa maa yu'ammaru mim mu'ammarinw wa laa yunqasu min 'umuriheee illaa fee kitaab; inna zaalika 'alal laahi yaseer )
"And Allah created you from clay [34], then from a drop of sperm, then made you pairs [35] of male and female. And no female bears, nor does she give birth [36], but with His knowledge. And no one whose life is lengthened has life extended or the age of whoso is curtailed [37] (can extend it). All this [38] is in a Book. Verily, it is easy [39] for Allah."
This refers to the creation of Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) from clay, and then his descendants from sperm. Alternatively, it means Allah created nourishment from the earth, then blood from nourishment, sperm from blood, and then a human from the sperm.
Thus, the meaning of this verse is clear and coherent. It also serves as evidence for the resurrection on the Day of Judgement.
Allah has created pairs in all forms—male and female, black and white, fortunate and unfortunate, believers and disbelievers, sinners and the pious. Even souls have been created in pairs by Allah Almighty.
This verse highlights the sublime nature of Divine Knowledge—Allah is fully aware of every stage of a child’s conception, birth, age, and condition. Those whom Allah grants knowledge are aware of these matters as well, by His permission.
From the beginning, each person’s lifespan is recorded—whether it is long or short. Lifespan may be increased by the prayers of the pious or through righteous deeds, and it may be decreased by sins or curses.
This is all inscribed on the Divine Tablet (Lauh Mahfuz). For instance, the devil’s life was extended through his prayer. Allah Almighty says:
“Allah said, ‘Certainly, you are of those who are granted respite till the known time’” (Surah Sad, Verses 80–81).
The word “fa” indicates that his lifespan was extended due to his supplication.
From this we learn that the pious saints, who have their gaze fixed upon the Divine Tablet, are made aware of people’s lifespans and destinies. All such matters are recorded there for their knowledge, and Allah does not forget anything.
The recording of lifespans, all unseen knowledge, alteration in lifespan, and revealing this knowledge to His beloved servants—all of this is extremely easy for Allah Almighty.
The tafsir of Surah Fatir verse 11 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Fatir ayat 9 which provides the complete commentary from verse 9 through 11.
(35:11) Allah[23] created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm,[24] then He made you into pairs. No female conceives, nor delivers (a child) except with His knowledge. None is given a long life nor is any diminished in his life but it is written in a Book.[25] Surely that is quite easy for Allah.[26]
23. From here again the discourse is directed to the common people.
24. That is, man in the first instance was created from the dust directly. Then his race was perpetuated through the sperm-drop.
25. That is, it is pre-ordained for everyone who is born in this world how long he will live. If a person lives a long life, he does so by Allah’s decree, and if another one lives a short life, he too lives so by Allah’s decree. Some ignorant people give the argument that in the past the death rate of the newly born children used to be high, and now it has been checked by the advancement of the medical science. And the people used to live short lives in the past, now due to better medical facilities the life span has increased. But this argument could be presented in refutation of the Quranic argument only when it could be ascertained that Allah, for instance, had preordained a two year life for a certain person, and the modern medical facilities have enhanced it by a day. If a person has no such knowledge, he cannot refute this Quranic statement on any rational grounds. Only on the basis of the statistics that the death rate among children has fallen, or that the people now are living longer lives, it cannot be argued that man has now become able to change the decrees of Allah. Rationally it is not impossible that Allah might have fixed different life spans for the people born in different periods, and this might also be Allah Almighty’s decree that man in such and such an age would be granted curative power to treat such and such diseases, and in such and such a period man would be given greater means for longevity.
26. That is, it is not at all difficult for Allah to give commands and pass judgments about each individual of His countless creations when He possesses detailed and perfect knowledge about them.
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