In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful
57:1 All that is in the heavens and the earth
glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, All-Wise.
57:2 To Him belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the
earth; He gives life, and causes death; and He is able to do all things.
57:3 He is the First and the Last, the Manifest,
the Innermost; and He is, of all things, All-Knowing.
57:4 It is He Who created the heavens and the
earth in six days then rose on the Throne. He knows what enters the earth and
what comes out of it, and what descends from the heaven and what ascends
thereto, and He is with you wherever you are. And Allah is, of what you do,
All-Seeing.
57:5 To Him belongs
the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and to Allah, all matters return.
57:6 He makes the night enter into the day, and
makes the day enter into the night. And He is All-Knowing of what in the breasts.
Surah Al-Hadid (57:1–6), Summary
These opening Ayat
establish the foundation on which the whole Surah rests: a right understanding
of Allah. They begin by declaring that everything in the heavens and the earth
glorifies Him. They then describe His sovereignty over life and death, His
nearness through knowledge, and His rising above the Throne. They conclude with
the return of all matters to Him and His knowledge of what lies within the
hearts. Together, they present a God who is Mighty, Wise, All-Knowing, and
All-Seeing, and they prepare the reader for the Surah's later call to faith,
spending, and striving for the Hereafter.
Tafsir
57:1 All that is in
the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, All-Wise.
All that is in the
heavens and the earth glorifies Allah,
Everything in
creation, other than Allah, glorifies Allah, magnifying Him, acknowledging His
Lordship, and submitting to Him in obedience.
And He is the
All-Mighty, All-Wise.
Allah, Exalted be He,
is the All-Mighty (Al-Aziz) in exacting retribution from those among His
creation in the heavens and the earth who disobey Him and defy His command. He
is the All-Wise (Al-Hakim) in how He manages their affairs and directs them
according to His will and pleasure.
57:2 To Him belongs
the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He gives life, and causes death; and
He is able to do all things.
To Allah, Exalted be
He, belong the dominion and sovereignty over the heavens, the earth, and all
that is within them. Nothing therein has the power to resist Him, and His
command and decree are effective over both.
He gives life, and
causes death;
Allah, Exalted be He,
gives life to whichever of His creatures He wills, bringing them into existence
however He pleases. For example, He creates a living being from a lifeless drop
of fluid through the breathing of the spirit into it, after it has passed through
various stages of transformation, and by similar processes. He also causes
death to whichever living beings He wills after they have lived, ending their
existence once they reach their appointed term.
And He is able to do
all things.
Allah has power over
all things. Nothing He wills is beyond His ability, whether it is giving life
or causing death, granting honor or bringing humiliation, or any other matter.
57:3 He is the First
and the Last, the Manifest, the Innermost; and He is, of all things, All-Knowing.
He is the First and
the Last,
Allah, Exalted be He,
is the First, preceding all things without limit, and the Last, remaining after
all things without end. This is because He existed when nothing else did, and
He will exist after the annihilation of all things.
…the Manifest, the
Innermost;
Allah, Exalted be He,
is the Manifest (Al-Zahir), prevailing over everything beneath Him. He is the
Exalted, above all things, with nothing higher than Him. He, Exalted be He, is
the Innermost (Al-Batin), encompassing all things; nothing is closer to
anything than He is.
…and He is, of all
things, All-Knowing.
Allah, Exalted be He,
possesses knowledge of all things, and nothing is hidden from Him. Not an
atom's weight, whether on earth or in the heavens, nor anything smaller or
larger than that, escapes His knowledge, for all is recorded in a clear Book.
57:4 It is He Who
created the heavens and the earth in six days then rose on the Throne. He knows
what enters the earth and what comes out of it, and what descends from the
heaven and what ascends thereto, and He is with you wherever you are. And Allah
is All-Seeing of what you do.
Allah, Exalted be He,
is the One Who created the seven heavens and the earths, governing them and all
they contain. He then established Himself upon His Throne, rising above it in
majesty and loftiness.
He knows what enters
the earth and what emerges from it, and what descends from the heaven and what
ascends thereto;
Nothing regarding His
creation is hidden from Allah. He knows what enters the earth and what emerges
from it, and He knows what descends from the sky to the earth and what ascends
from the earth to the sky.
…and He is with you
wherever you are. And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.
Allah is a Witness
over you, O people, wherever you may be. He knows you, as well as your deeds,
your movements, and your resting places, while He remains upon His Throne above
His seven heavens. Allah sees the deeds you perform, whether good or evil, acts
of obedience or disobedience, and He records them fully. He will thus
recompense the doer of good for their goodness and the doer of evil for their
evil on the Day when every soul is recompensed for what it has earned, and none
shall be wronged.
57:5 To Him belongs
the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and to Allah, all matters return.
To Allah, Exalted be
He, belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. His command is absolute
over them and all they contain. To Allah returns the ultimate outcome of all
the affairs of His creation, whereupon He judges between them.
57:6 He causes the
night to enter the day, and causes the day to enter the night. And He is
All-Knowing of what is within the breasts.
He causes the night
to enter the day, and causes the day to enter the night.
Allah incorporates
the hours lost from the night into the day, adding them to the day's duration,
and He incorporates the hours lost from the day into the night, adding them to
the night's duration.
And He is All-Knowing
of what is within the breasts.
Allah possesses full
knowledge of the innermost thoughts of His servants, including the good or evil
their souls have resolved upon or contemplated. Nothing of this is hidden from
Him.
Practical
Lessons
1. Glorification is
the natural state of creation, so the believer should join it.
Ayah 57:1 states that all that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah.
A person who neglects remembrance and glorification stands apart from the rest
of creation. Regular dhikr during the day, such as saying SubhanAllah,
restores the believer's place within that harmony.
2. Life and death are
in Allah's hands alone, which should reduce anxiety and heedlessness.
Ayah 57:2 affirms that Allah gives life and causes death. Recognizing that
every person's term is appointed frees the believer from excessive fear of loss
and reminds them not to postpone repentance and good deeds.
3. Allah is the First
and the Last, so no worldly attachment is permanent.
Ayah 57:3 teaches that Allah existed before all things and will remain after
them. Wealth, status, and relationships are temporary, and the believer should
hold them lightly and invest in what endures. This lesson prepares for the
Surah's later teaching on spending in the way of Allah.
4. Allah's knowledge
encompasses the open and the hidden, so sincerity matters more than appearance.
Ayat 57:3–4 and 57:6 teach that Allah knows what is in the earth, in the
heavens, and within the breasts. In an age of public display and social media,
this Ayah calls the believer to purify intention and to act as though only
Allah is watching, because He is.
5. Awareness that
Allah is with us in knowledge builds self-accountability (muraqabah).
Ayah 57:4 states, "He is with you wherever you are." The Ayah, as
explained in the commentary, refers to His knowledge and observation, not His
essence. Remembering this in private moments protects against sin and encourages
consistency in obedience, whether alone or in public.
6. Everything returns
to Allah, so the believer should live with the final accounting in mind.
Ayah 57:5 teaches that all matters return to Allah, and the commentary adds
that He will judge between His creation. This encourages justice, humility, and
patience, since no wrong goes unrecorded and no good is lost.
Reflection
Questions and Answers
1: What does it mean
that everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah (57:1)?
It means that all creation magnifies Allah, acknowledges His Lordship, and
submits to Him in obedience. The Ayah presents glorification as a universal
reality, not limited to human beings.
2: What is the
difference between Allah's names Al-Aziz and Al-Hakim in 57:1?
Al-Aziz (the All-Mighty) refers to His power in exacting retribution from those
who disobey Him and defy His command. Al-Hakim (the All-Wise) refers to His
wisdom in managing the affairs of creation and directing them according to His
will and pleasure. The two names together show that His power is always joined
with wisdom.
3: How does Ayah 57:3
describe Allah's relationship to time and to creation?
Allah is the First, preceding all things without limit, and the Last, remaining
after all things without end. He existed when nothing else did, and He will
exist after all things perish. He is also the Manifest, above all things, and
the Innermost, encompassing all things, so nothing is closer to anything than He
is.
4: What is meant by
Allah being "with you wherever you are" (57:4)?
The commentary explains that Allah is a Witness over His servants wherever they
are. He knows them, their deeds, their movements, and their resting places,
while remaining upon His Throne above His seven heavens. The nearness here is
one of knowledge and observation.
5: Why does the Ayah
mention that Allah sees the deeds of people, both good and evil (57:4)?
According to the commentary, Allah fully records all deeds so that He may
recompense the doer of good for their goodness and the doer of evil for their
evil on the Day when every soul is recompensed for what it has earned. No one
will be wronged on that Day.
6: What practical
change should the awareness that Allah knows "what is within the
breasts" (57:6) bring about in a believer?
Since Allah knows the innermost thoughts and what each soul has resolved upon,
the believer should purify intentions and not rely on outward appearances. Good
or evil that remains hidden from people is not hidden from Allah.
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