سورة الشّوریٰ
Surah Al-Shûrâ 42:11
The Council · Verse 11 of 53
فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ
Abdul Mannan Omar
He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has made your mates from your own species and has made mates of the cattle (also from their own species). That is the way (of mating together) whereby He multiplies you. Naught is as His exegesis, (He is beyond all comparison,) and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).
Ahmed Ali
Originator of the heavens and the earth, He has made your consorts from among you, and made pairs of cattle. He multiplies you in this way. There is no other like Him. He is all-hearing and all-seeing.
12 more translations
Ali Unal
The Originator of the heavens and the earth (each with particular features and on ordered principles); He has made for you, from your selves, mates, and from the cattle mates (of their own kind): by this means He multiplies you (and the cattle). There is nothing whatever like Him. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.
Daryabadi
The Creator of the heavens and the earth: He hath made for you mates of yourselves, and of the cattle also mates, whereby He diffuseth you. Not like Unto Him is aught, and He is the Hearer, the Beholder!
Faridul Haque
The Maker of the heavens and the earth; He has created pairs for you from yourselves and pairs from the animals; He spreads your generation; nothing is like Him; and He only is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.
Maulana Muhammad Ali
The Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs of the cattle, too, multiplying you thereby. Nothing is like Him; and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
Maulvi Sher Ali
HE is the originator of the heavens and the earth. HE has made for you pairs of you own selves, and of the cattle also HE has made pairs. HE multiplies you therein. There is nothing whatever like unto HIM, and HE is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.
Muhammad Asad
The Originator [is He] of the heavens and the earth. He has given you mates of your own kind - just as [He has willed that] among the beasts [there be] mates - to multiply you thereby: [but) there is nothing like unto Him, and He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.
Muhammad Musin Khan
The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates from yourselves, and for the cattle (also) mates. By this means He creates you (in the wombs). There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.
Muhammad Pickthall
The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He hath made for you pairs of yourselves, and of the cattle also pairs, whereby He multiplieth you. Naught is as His likeness; and He is the Hearer, the Seer.
Muhammad Sarwar
He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has made you and the cattle in pairs and has multiplied you by His creation. There is certainly nothing like Him. He is All-hearing and All-aware.
Muhammed ali Shakir
The Originator of the heavens and the earth; He made mates for you from among yourselves, and mates of the cattle too, multiplying you thereby; nothing like a likeness of Him; and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
Rashad Khalifa
Initiator of the heavens and the earth. He created for you from among yourselves spouses - and also for the animals. He thus provides you with the means to multiply. There is nothing that equals Him. He is the Hearer, the Seer.
Shabbir Ahmed
Originator of the heavens and the earth! He has given you mates of your own kind; and mates among the cattle. By this means He multiplies you (creation). However, there is nothing whatsoever like Him, not even a similitude that would come close. And He is the Hearer, the Seer.
Commentary 42:11Laisa ka-mithl-i-hî Shai’aلَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ - Nothing has a likeness to Him. This is the gnosis of His Essence. He alone possesses Attributes not…
فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ
42:11Laisa ka-mithl-i-hî Shai’aلَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ - Nothing has a likeness to Him. This is the gnosis of His Essence. He alone possesses Attributes not shared by anyone. No body (jasd) and no soul (nafs) can comprehend His Essence. He calls Himself the Hearing One, the Seeing, the Living –these are Attributes that make Him known. Yet then He negates laisa ka-mithl-i-hî Shai’aلَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ - nothing has a likeness to Him, thus He cannot be comprehended. With all His Attributes He has kept only for Him His proper Name – the name Allâh. The knowledge of Allâh’s Reality (His Essence, Haqîqat al-Dzâtحقيقت الزات ), cannot be known through logical proof (-dalîl دليل ) or rational considerations (burhân ‘aqlîبُرهان عقلي ). Nor can any definition or description grasp Him. He manifests Himself to His creation through His Revelations (Wahî) and His Revelations are indispensable and absolute proof (‘ilm al-Yaqîn; 102:7) of His existence.
From the words laisa ka-mithl-i-hî shai’aلَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ, that nothing has a likeness to Him, one must also conclude that Allâh cannot have a consort since a consort would share some commonalities. In connection with this verse which speaks of mates, and with other verses which speak of Allâh having “created all things in pairs” (51:49, 43:12), it thereby pre-empts any possible analogy that not only creation exists in pairs but Allâh might also have some consort.