31:27

وَلَوۡ أَنَّمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقۡلَٰمٞ وَٱلۡبَحۡرُ يَمُدُّهُۥ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِۦ سَبۡعَةُ أَبۡحُرٖ مَّا نَفِدَتۡ كَلِمَٰتُ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٞ

Walaw annama fee alardi min shajaratin aqlamun waalbahru yamudduhu min baAAdihi sabAAatu abhurin ma nafidat kalimatu Allahi inna Allaha AAazeezun hakeemun

And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.

Word by word
  1. وَلَوۡAnd if
  2. أَنَّمَاwhatever
  3. فِي(is) in
  4. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  5. مِنof
  6. شَجَرَةٍ(the) trees
  7. أَقۡلَٰمٞ(were) pens
  8. وَٱلۡبَحۡرُand the sea
  9. يَمُدُّهُۥ(to) add to it
  10. مِنۢafter it
  11. بَعۡدِهِۦafter it
  12. سَبۡعَةُseven
  13. أَبۡحُرٖseas
  14. مَّاnot
  15. نَفِدَتۡwould be exhausted
  16. كَلِمَٰتُ(the) Words
  17. ٱللَّهِۚ(of) Allah
  18. إِنَّIndeed
  19. ٱللَّهَAllah
  20. عَزِيزٌ(is) All-Mighty
  21. حَكِيمٞAll-Wise
Luqman · 31:27Makkah

Every tree a pen, every sea ink, and still not enough.

The Words of Allah have no end


The image
all treesmade into pens
the sea and seven moremade into ink
would run out before
the Words of Allahnever exhausted
What seven means
a number to countseven exact oceans
a vast amountno limit at all

Ibn Kathir says the number seven means a large amount, not a literal count. The pens would break and the ink run dry. The Prophet ﷺ said in his prayer: I cannot praise You enough.

You have a cloud full of notes, a library app, a search engine. It feels like everything can be known. Stand by the sea for a minute and picture it as ink. Then picture it running dry.

I already understand most of what there is to know about Allah.

What I know of Allah is a drop. His Words never run out.

Try this

Learn the meaning of one Name of Allah you did not know well, today.

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

And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea, with seven seas behind it to add to it, yet the Words of Allah would not be exhausted. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise (27)The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as a single person. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer (28)

The Words of Allah cannot be counted or exhausted

Allah tells us of His might, pride, majesty, beautiful Names and sublime attributes, and His perfect Words which no one can encompass. No human being knows their essence or nature, or how many they are. As the Leader of Mankind and Seal of the Messengers ﷺ said:

لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ

(I cannot praise You enough; You are as You have praised yourself.) Allah says:

وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ ۗ 

(And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea, with seven seas behind it to add to its, yet the Words of Allah would not be exhausted.) meaning, even if all the trees on earth were made into pens and the sea was made into ink, and topped up with seven more like it, and they were used to write the Words of Allah showing His might, attributes and majesty, the pens would break and the ink would run dry, even if more were brought. The number seven is used to indicate a large amount, it is not to be taken literally or to be understood as referring to the seven oceans of the world, as was suggested by those who took this idea from Israelite stories, which we neither believe nor reject. As Allah says elsewhere:

قُلْ لَوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنْفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا

(Say: "If the sea were ink for the Words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the Words of my Lord would be finished, even if We brought like it for its aid.")(18:109). The words

بِمِثْلِهِ 

(like it) do not mean merely another one, but another like it and another and another and another, etc., because there is no limit to the signs and Words of Allah.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

(Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.) means, He is All-Mighty and has subjugated all things to His will, so nothing can prevent what He wills, and none can oppose or put back His decision. He is All-Wise in His creation, commands, Words, actions, Laws and all His affairs.

مَا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلَا بَعْثُكُمْ إِلَّا كَنَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ

(The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as a single person.) means, His creation and resurrection of all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection is, in relation to His power, like the creation and resurrection of a single soul; all of this is easy for Him.

إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ

(Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be!" – and it is!)(36:82)

وَمَا أَمْرُنَا إِلَّا وَاحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ 

(And Our commandment is but one as the twinkling of an eye.)(54:50). This means He only has to command a thing once, and it will happen. There is no need for Him to repeat it or confirm it.

فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ - فَإِذَا هُمْ بِالسَّاهِرَةِ

(But it will be only a single Zajrah. When behold, they find themselves on the surface of the earth alive after their death.)(79:13-14)

إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ

(Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer.) means, just as He hears all that they say, so He also sees all that they do, as if He is hearing and seeing a single soul. His power over all of them is like His power over a single soul. Allah says:

مَا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلَا بَعْثُكُمْ إِلَّا كَنَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ

(The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as a single person.)