Quran Universe
30:54

۞ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعۡفٖ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ضَعۡفٖ قُوَّةٗ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ قُوَّةٖ ضَعۡفٗا وَشَيۡبَةٗۚ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡقَدِيرُ

Allahu allathee khalaqakum min daAAfin thumma jaAAala min baAAdi daAAfin quwwatan thumma jaAAala min baAAdi quwwatin daAAfan washaybatan yakhluqu ma yashao wahuwa alAAaleemu alqadeeru

Allah is the one who created you from weakness, then made after weakness strength, then made after strength weakness and white hair. He creates what He wills, and He is the Knowing, the Competent.

Word by word
  1. ۞ٱللَّهُAllah
  2. ٱلَّذِي(is) the One Who
  3. خَلَقَكُمcreated you
  4. مِّنfrom
  5. ضَعۡفٖweakness
  6. ثُمَّthen
  7. جَعَلَmade
  8. مِنۢafter
  9. بَعۡدِafter
  10. ضَعۡفٖweakness
  11. قُوَّةٗstrength
  12. ثُمَّthen
  13. جَعَلَmade
  14. مِنۢafter
  15. بَعۡدِafter
  16. قُوَّةٖstrength
  17. ضَعۡفٗاweakness
  18. وَشَيۡبَةٗۚand gray hair
  19. يَخۡلُقُHe creates
  20. مَاwhat
  21. يَشَآءُۚHe wills
  22. وَهُوَand He
  23. ٱلۡعَلِيمُ(is) the All-Knower
  24. ٱلۡقَدِيرُthe All-Powerful
Ar-Rum · 30:54Makkah

Weak, then strong, then weak and grey again.

The arc of a human life

The stages
weaknessa newborn, powerless
then
strengthyouth
then
weaknessgrey hair, old age
Where strength comes from
my ownpermanent
a loan between weaknessesHe creates what He wills

Ibn Kathir traces the stages: from dust to a drop, to a clot, to flesh and bone. Then a baby, weak and thin, grows into a strong young man. Then middle age, old age, grey hair, losing strength inside and out. He creates what He wills.

You carry your toddler up the stairs. Thirty years later, your daughter helps you up the same stairs. Your strength is a loan between two weaknesses. The gym, the career, the energy: use them well while they are yours.

I will always be as strong as I am now.

My strength sits between two weaknesses. I should use it for what lasts.

Try this

Use some of your strength today to help someone weaker: a child, a parent, an elder.

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

Allah is He Who created you in weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills. And He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful (54)

The Different Stages of Man

Here Allah points out how man passes through different stages of creation, one phase after another. He is originally created from dust, then from a Nutfah, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh. Then he becomes bones, then the bones are clothed with flesh, then the soul is breathed into him. Then he emerges from his mother's womb, weak and thin and powerless. Then he grows up little by little, until he becomes a child, then he reaches the stage of puberty, then he becomes a young man, which is strength after weakness. Then he starts to get older, reaching middle age, then old age and senility, weakness after strength, so he loses his resolve, power of movement and ability to fight, his hair turns grey and his characteristics, both inward and outward, begin to change. Allah says:

ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفًا وَشَيْبَةً ۚ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۖ

(then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills.) He does whatsoever He wills and controls His servants in whatever way He wants.

وَهُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْقَدِيرُ

(And He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.)