Surah Fatir, Ayah 13 (35:13)

فَاطِر

يُولِجُ ٱلَّيْلَ فِى ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ ٱلنَّهَارَ فِى ٱلَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ …

Quran 35:13 is ayah 13 of Surah Fatir (“Originator”), a Meccan surah of 45 ayahs. It is in Juz 22, on page 436 of the Madani Mushaf.

35:13
يُولِجُٱلَّيْلَفِىٱلنَّهَارِوَيُولِجُٱلنَّهَارَفِىٱلَّيْلِوَسَخَّرَٱلشَّمْسَوَٱلْقَمَرَكُلٌّيَجْرِىلِأَجَلٍمُّسَمًّى ۚذَٰلِكُمُٱللَّهُرَبُّكُمْلَهُٱلْمُلْكُ ۚوَٱلَّذِينَتَدْعُونَمِندُونِهِۦمَايَمْلِكُونَمِنقِطْمِيرٍ١٣
yūliju al-layla fī l-nahāri wayūliju l-nahāra fī al-layli wasakhara l-shamsa wal-qamara kullun yajrī li-ajalin musamman dhālikumu l-lahu rabbukum lahu l-mul'ku wa-alladhīna tadʿūna min dūnihi mā yamlikūna min qiṭ'mīrin

He causes the night to enter the day, and He causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon - each running [its course] for a specified term. That is Allāh, your Lord; to Him belongs sovereignty. And those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed.(13)

Word by word

  1. يُولِجُyūlijuHe causes to enter
  2. ٱلَّيْلَal-laylathe night
  3. فِىfīin (to)
  4. ٱلنَّهَارِl-nahārithe day
  5. وَيُولِجُwayūlijuand He causes to enter
  6. ٱلنَّهَارَl-nahārathe day
  7. فِىfīin (to)
  8. ٱلَّيْلِal-laylithe night
  9. وَسَخَّرَwasakharaand He has subjected
  10. ٱلشَّمْسَl-shamsathe sun
  11. وَٱلْقَمَرَwal-qamaraand the moon
  12. كُلٌّkulluneach
  13. يَجْرِىyajrīrunning
  14. لِأَجَلٍli-ajalinfor a term
  15. مُّسَمًّى ۚmusammanappointed
  16. ذَٰلِكُمُdhālikumuThat (is)
  17. ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
  18. رَبُّكُمْrabbukumyour Lord
  19. لَهُlahufor Him
  20. ٱلْمُلْكُ ۚl-mul'ku(is) the Dominion
  21. وَٱلَّذِينَwa-alladhīnaAnd those whom
  22. تَدْعُونَtadʿūnayou invoke
  23. مِنminbesides Him
  24. دُونِهِۦdūnihibesides Him
  25. مَاmānot
  26. يَمْلِكُونَyamlikūnathey possess
  27. مِنmineven
  28. قِطْمِيرٍqiṭ'mīrin(as much as) the membrane of a date-seed

Tafsir (commentary) of 35:13

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

This commentary explains ayahs 35:13–14 together.

The gods of the Idolators do not even own a Qitmir

Another aspect of His perfect power and might is that He has subjugated the night with its darkness and the day with its light. He takes from the length of the one and adds it to the shortness of the other, until they become equal. Then He takes from the latter and adds to the former, so one becomes long and the other becomes short, so they take from one another in summer and in winter.

وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ

(And He has subjected the sun and the moon,) and the stars and planets, with their light. All of them run in their appointed courses and in the manner prescribed for them, as decreed by the Almighty, All-Knowing.

كُـلٌّ يَجْرِى لاًّجَـلٍ مُّسَـمًّى

each runs its course for a term appointed. means, until the Day of Resurrection.

ذَلِكُـمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّـكُمْ

Such is Allah, your Lord؟ means, the One Who has done all this is the Almighty Lord besides Whom there is no other true God.

وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ

(And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him,) means, `the idols and false gods whom you claim to be in the form of angels who are close to Allah,'

مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِن قِطْمِيرٍ

own not even a Qitلm0r. Ibn Abba0s, may Allah be pleased with him, Muja0hid, Ikrimah, Ata0 , Atلiyah Al- Awfi, Al-Hلasan, Qata0dah and others said, This is the thread that is attached to the pit of a date. In other words, they do not possess anything in the heavens or on earth, not even anything equivalent to this Qitلm0r. Then Allah says:

إِن تَدْعُوهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُواْ دُعَآءَكُمْ

(If you invoke them, they hear not your call;) means, `the gods upon whom you call instead of Allah, do not hear your supplication, because they are inanimate and have no soul in them.'

وَلَوْ سَمِعُواْ مَا اسْتَجَابُواْ لَكُمْ

(and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it to you.) means, `they are not able to do any of the things that you ask them for.'

وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِـكُمْ

And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them means, `they will disown you.' This is like the Ayat:

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّن يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَن لاَّ يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَهُمْ عَن دُعَآئِهِمْ غَـفِلُونَ - وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُواْ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَكَانُواْ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَـفِرِينَ

(And who is more astray than one who calls on besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls to them And when mankind are gathered, they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) (46:5-6), and

وَاتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ ءالِهَةً لِّيَكُونُواْ لَهُمْ عِزّاً
كَلاَّ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَـدَتِهِمْ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(And they have taken gods besides Allah, that they might give them honor, power and glory. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them.) (19:81-82)

وَلاَ يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍ

(And none can inform you like Him Who is the All-Knower.) means, no one can tell you about the consequences of things and how they will end like the One Who is the All-Knower of them. Qatadah said, "He is referring to Himself, may He be blessed and exalted, for He undoubtedly tells the truth."

Read the full Surah Fatir