Quran Universe
35:17

وَمَا ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٖ

Wama thalika AAala Allahi biAAazeezin

And that is for Allah not difficult.

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. ذَٰلِكَthat
  3. عَلَى(is) on
  4. ٱللَّهِAllah
  5. بِعَزِيزٖdifficult
Fatir · 35:17Makkah

Not hard for Him at all.

What feels impossible to us is easy for Allah

What the verse means
removing a people
making a new one
for Allah is
not difficultnot hard, not impossible
Measuring by my scale
too big to changemy problem, my world
easy for Himnothing is heavy for Allah

This short verse closes the thought before it. Ibn Kathir says replacing the people is not difficult or impossible for Him. It reminded the proud leaders of Makkah that their position was held up by nothing of their own.

You stare at a problem that feels like a mountain: the debt, the diagnosis, the son who will not talk to you. What is impossible for you is not hard for Him. The same truth that humbles you also comforts you.

Some things in my life are just too big to ever change.

Nothing is hard for Allah. The size of my problem is measured by my strength, not His.

Try this

Name your biggest stuck problem in a dua today and add: and this is easy for You.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 35:15)

O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah. But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise (15)If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation (16)And that is not hard for Allah (17)And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden; and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin. You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah. And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of himself. And to Allah is the Return (of all)(18)

Mankind is in need of Allah, and each Person will carry His own Burdens on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us that He has no need of anyone or anything else, but all of creation is in need of Him and is in a position of humility before Him. He says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ 

(O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah.) meaning, they need Him in all that they do, but He has no need of them at all. Allah says:

وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

(But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise.) meaning, He is unique in His being Free of all needs, and has no partner or associate, and He is Worthy of all praise in all that He does, says, decrees and legislates.

إِنْ يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَأْتِ بِخَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ

(If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation.) means, if He wanted to, He could destroy you and bring forth another people, and this is not difficult or impossible for Him. He says:

وَمَا ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ 

(And that is not hard for Allah.) Allah's saying:

وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ

(And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden;) means, on the Day of Resurrection.

وَإِنْ تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ إِلَىٰ حِمْلِهَا 

(and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load,) means, if the person who is carrying a heavy burden calls someone else to help him carry his load, all or part of it,

 لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَىٰ ۗ 

(nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin.) means, even if he is closely-related to him, even if he is his father or son, for each person will be preoccupied with his own self and his own situation. Then Allah says:

إِنَّمَا تُنْذِرُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ ۚ 

(You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah.) means, 'the only ones who will draw a lesson from what you have brought are those who are possessed of insight and wisdom, who fear their Lord and who do as He commands.'

وَمَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَتَزَكَّىٰ لِنَفْسِهِ ۚ 

(And he who purifies himself, then he purifies only for the benefit of himself.) means, who does righteous deeds, the benefit of that will come back to him,

وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ

(And to Allah is the Return.) means, to Him everything will ultimately return, and He is swift in bringing to account. He will reward or punish everyone according to his deeds: if they are good, then the end will be good, and if they are bad, then the end will be bad.