Quran Universe
6:101

بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُۥ وَلَدٞ وَلَمۡ تَكُن لَّهُۥ صَٰحِبَةٞۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيۡءٖۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٞ

BadeeAAu alssamawati waalardi anna yakoonu lahu waladun walam takun lahu sahibatun wakhalaqa kulla shayin wahuwa bikulli shayin AAaleemun

[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing.

Word by word
  1. بَدِيعُOriginator
  2. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ(of) the heavens
  3. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖand the earth
  4. أَنَّىٰHow
  5. يَكُونُcan be
  6. لَهُۥfor Him
  7. وَلَدٞa son
  8. وَلَمۡwhile not
  9. تَكُن(there) is
  10. لَّهُۥfor Him
  11. صَٰحِبَةٞۖa companion
  12. وَخَلَقَand He created
  13. كُلَّevery
  14. شَيۡءٖۖthing
  15. وَهُوَAnd He
  16. بِكُلِّ(is) of every
  17. شَيۡءٍthing
  18. عَلِيمٞAll-Knower
Al-An'am · 6:101Makkah

The One who made the heavens from nothing needs no son.

Badi: the Originator with no model to copy

The argument
Badimade it all with no precedent
no companionnone like Him
so
a child?makes no sense
How to picture Allah
like us, but biggerfamily, needs
Creator of everythingknows all things

Mujahid and As-Suddi explained Badi as the One who brought the heavens and earth into being with no earlier example. A child comes from two matching partners, Ibn Kathir notes, and nothing is like Allah to be His partner. He created everything and knows everything.

We picture Allah the way we picture people: tired, needing help, needing someone to carry on His name. The One who made galaxies from nothing has no needs at all. That is why you can bring Him every need of yours.

I quietly imagine Allah with human limits, like someone who might be too busy for me.

He made everything from nothing and needs nothing, so nothing I ask is too much.

Try this

Ask Allah today for something you thought was too big to ask for.

Related19:88
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

He is the Badi' (Originator) of the heavens and the earth. How can He have children when He has no wife? He created all things and He is the All-Knower of everything (101)

Meaning of Badi'

بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

(He is the Badi' of the heavens and the earth) Meaning He originated, created, invented and brought them into existence without precedence, as Mujahid and As-Suddi said. This is why the word for innovation - Bid'ah - comes from it, because it is something that did not have a precedence.

أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ

(How can He have children when He has no wife?) for the child is the offspring of two compatible spouses. Allah does not have an equal, none of His creatures are similar to Him, for He alone created the entire creation. Allah said;

وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَلَدًا - لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْئًا إِدًّا

(And they say: "The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a son." Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing.)[19:88-89], until,

وَكُلُّهُمْ آتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَرْدًا

(And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection.)[19:95].

وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

(He created all things and He is the All-Knower of everything.)

He has created everything and He is All-Knower of all things. How can He have a wife from His creation who is suitable for His majesty, when there is none like Him? How can He have a child then? Verily, Allah is Glorified above having a son.