Quran Universe
31:26

لِلَّهِ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡغَنِيُّ ٱلۡحَمِيدُ

Lillahi ma fee alssamawati waalardi inna Allaha huwa alghaniyyu alhameedu

To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth. Indeed, Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.

Word by word
  1. لِلَّهِTo Allah (belongs)
  2. مَاwhatever
  3. فِي(is) in
  4. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِthe heavens
  5. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚand the earth
  6. إِنَّIndeed
  7. ٱللَّهَAllah
  8. هُوَHe
  9. ٱلۡغَنِيُّ(is) Free of need
  10. ٱلۡحَمِيدُthe Praiseworthy
Luqman · 31:26Makkah

Everything belongs to Him, and He needs nothing.

Al-Ghani, the Praiseworthy

Who owns what
heavens and earthall of it
belong to
Allahcreated it, rules it
Who needs whom
Allah needs no oneAl-Ghani
everything needs Himincluding me

Ibn Kathir says He has no need of anyone or anything, and everything else is in need of Him. He is praised for all that He creates and decrees, in every affair.

Your name is on the lease. Your phone, your car, your account. It feels like yours. Everything you hold is on loan from the One who needs none of it, and gave it anyway.

What I worked for is simply mine.

All I have belongs to Allah, who needs nothing and still gives.

Try this

Give away one thing you own today that someone else needs more than you.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 31:25)

And if you ask them: "Who has created the heavens and the earth," they will certainly say: "Allah." Say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah!" But most of them know not (25)To Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. Verily, Allah, He is Al-Ghani, Worthy of all praise (26)

The Idolators admitted that Allah is the Creator

Allah tells us that these idolators who associated others with Him admitted that Allah Alone, with no partner or associate, is the Creator of heaven and earth yet they still worshipped others besides Him who they recognized were created by Him and subjugated to Him. Allah says:

وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ ۚ قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ 

(And if you ask them: "Who has created the heavens and the earth," they will certainly say: "Allah." Say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah!") By their admitting that, proof is established against them,

بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

(But most of them know not.) Then Allah says:

لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ 

(To Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth.) meaning, He created it and has dominion over it.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

(Verily, Allah, He is Al-Ghani, Worthy of all praise.) means, He has no need of anyone or anything besides Himself, and everything else is in need of Him. He is Worthy of praise for all that He has created, so praise be to Him in the heavens and on earth for all that He has created and decreed, and He is worthy of praise in all affairs.