Surah al-Shūrā

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

[Surah al-Shūrā (42): verse 11]

“The Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates from among yourselves, and mates among the livestock; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” (11)

This means that Allah, glorified be He, sustains you through the livestock mentioned, which He has created for you. Al-Kalbī said: “He multiplies them for you and increases your offspring through this pairing. Were it not for this pairing, offspring would not multiply.”

The meaning is that He creates you in the manner mentioned: by making mates for you and for the livestock. For pairing is the means by which we and other living creatures are created.

The pronoun in fīhi (“in it”) refers to the act of making.

Dhar’ means creation; here it means abundant creation, thus combining creation and multiplication.

It has been said that fī (“in”) has the meaning of the preposition bā’ (“by”): that is, “He multiplies you by that means.” This is the view of the Kufan grammarians.

The correct view, however, is that it retains its usual meaning, while the verb incorporates the sense of “brings you into being,” which takes the preposition fī (“in”), as Allah Most High says:

56:61: “And bring you into being in forms you do not know.”