42:29

وَمِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ خَلۡقُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَثَّ فِيهِمَا مِن دَآبَّةٖۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ جَمۡعِهِمۡ إِذَا يَشَآءُ قَدِيرٞ

Wamin ayatihi khalqu alssamawati waalardi wama baththa feehima min dabbatin wahuwa AAala jamAAihim itha yashao qadeerun

And of his signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and what He has dispersed throughout them of creatures. And He, for gathering them when He wills, is competent.

Word by word
  1. وَمِنۡAnd among
  2. ءَايَٰتِهِۦHis Signs
  3. خَلۡقُ(is the) creation
  4. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ(of) the heavens
  5. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِand the earth
  6. وَمَاand whatever
  7. بَثَّHe has dispersed
  8. فِيهِمَاin both of them
  9. مِنof
  10. دَآبَّةٖۚ(the) creatures
  11. وَهُوَAnd He
  12. عَلَىٰ(is) over
  13. جَمۡعِهِمۡtheir gathering
  14. إِذَاwhen
  15. يَشَآءُHe wills
  16. قَدِيرٞAll-Powerful
Ash-Shuraa · 42:29Makkah

Every creature scattered in the heavens and earth, gathered by Him.

The variety of life, and the Day of gathering


His sign
heavens and earth
all creaturesevery shape, color, tongue
and He can
gather themwhenever He wills
What the variety shows
random chaos
His mightHe knows each one

Ibn Kathir says these creatures include angels, men, jinn and all animals, with different shapes, colors, languages and natures, spread through every region. Yet He will gather the first and last of them in one place and judge with justice.

You stand in a crowded train station: hundreds of faces, languages, stories. Pigeons on the roof, ants on the floor. He made every one and will gather every one. Not one is lost in the crowd, including you.

In a world this big, I am just one face lost in the crowd.

Allah spread every creature across the earth and will gather each one. I am not lost to Him.

Try this

In the next crowd you are in, look around and say subhanallah once.

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

And among His Ayat is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and whatever moving creatures He has dispersed in them both. And He is Able to assemble them whenever He wills (29)And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much (30)And you cannot escape from Allah in the earth, and besides Allah you have neither any protector nor any helper (31)

Among the Signs of Allah is the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ

(And among His Ayat) the signs which point to His great might and power,

خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَثَّ فِيهِمَا

(is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and whatever moving creatures He has dispersed in them both.) means, whatever He has created in them, i.e., in the heavens and the earth.

مِنْ دَابَّةٍ

(and whatever moving creatures) this includes the angels, men, Jinn and all the animals with their different shapes, colors, languages, natures, kinds and types. He has distributed them throughout the various regions of the heavens and earth.

وَهُوَ

(And He) means, yet despite all that,

عَلَىٰ جَمْعِهِمْ إِذَا يَشَاءُ قَدِيرٌ

(is Able to assemble them whenever He wills.) means, on the Day of Resurrection, He will gather the first and the last of them, and bring all His creatures together in one place where they will all hear the voice of the caller and all of them will be seen clearly; then He will judge between them with justice and truth.

The Cause of Misfortune is Sin

وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ

(And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned.) means, 'whatever disasters happen to you, O mankind, are because of sins that you have committed in the past.'

وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ

(And He pardons much.) means, of sins; 'He does not punish you for them, rather He forgives you.'

وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ

(And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth)(35:45). According to a Sahih Hadith:

وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُؤْمِنَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلَا وَصَبٍ وَلَا هَمٍّ وَلَا حَزَنٍ إِلَّا كَفَّرَ اللهُ عَنْهُ بِهَا مِنْ خَطَايَاهُ، حَتّٰى الشَّوْكَةِ يُشَاكُهَا

(By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, no believer is stricken with fatigue, exhaustion, worry or grief, but Allah will forgive him for some of his sins thereby – even a thorn which pricks him.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

مَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ يُصِيبُ الْمُؤْمِنَ فِي جَسَدِهِ يُؤْذِيهِ إِلَّا كَفَّرَ اللهُ تَعَالَىٰ عَنْهُ بِهِ مِنْ سَيِّئَاتِهِ

(No physical harm befalls a believer, but Allah will expiate for some of his sins because of it.)" Imam Ahmad also recorded that 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِذَا كَثُرَتْ ذُنُوبُ الْعَبْدِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَا يُكَفِّرُهَا، ابْتَلَاهُ اللهُ تَعَالَىٰ بِالْحَزَنِ لِيُكَفِّرَهَا

(If a person commits many sins and has nothing that will expiate for them, Allah will test him with some grief that will expiate for them.)"