Surah Saba Ayat 1 (34:1 Quran) With Tafsir

Ala-Maududi

(34:1) All praise be to Allah to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth,^[1] and all praise be to Him in the World to Come.^[2] He is Most Wise, All-Aware.^[3]

1. The Arabic word hamd is used both for praise and for gratitude and both the meanings are implied here. When Allah alone is the Owner of the whole universe and of everything in it, then inevitably He alone deserves to be praised for every beauty, perfection, wisdom, power and excellent skill and design shown and manifested by it. Therefore, every inhabitant of the world must thank Allah alone for any benefit and pleasure that he draws from anything here. For when no one else is a partner in the ownership of these things, no one else deserves to be praised or thanked.

2. That is, “Just as every blessing in this world is granted by Allah alone, so also in the Hereafter whatever a person will get, he will get from His treasures and by His grace. Therefore, in the Hereafter too, Allah alone deserves to be praised as well as thanked.”

3. That is, “All His works are based on perfect wisdom and knowledge. Whatever He does, He does right. He has full knowledge about every creation of His as to where it is, in what state it is, what are its requirements, what precisely needs to be done for its well-being, what it has done so far and what it will do in the future. He is not unaware of the world created by Him, but is fully aware of the condition and state of every particle in it.”

Ibn-Kathir

1. All praise is due to Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. His is all praise in the Hereafter, and He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware. 2. He knows that which goes into the earth and that which comes forth from it, and that which descends from the heaven and that which ascends to it. And He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving.

Allah tells us that all praise belongs to Him alone in this world and in the Hereafter, because He is the Giver and Bestower who gives to the people of this world and the Hereafter, the Sovereign and Controller of all. Allah says:

(And He is Allah; none has the right to be worshipped but He, all praise is due to Him (both) in the first (i.e., in this world) and in the last (the Hereafter). And for Him is the decision, and to Him shall you (all) be returned.) (28:70). Allah says:

(All praise is due to Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth.) meaning, all of it is His dominion and is enslaved by Him and subject to His control, as Allah says:

(And truly, unto Us (belong) the last (Hereafter) and the first (this world)) (92:13). Then Allah says:

(His is all praise in the Hereafter,) for He is the One Who will be worshipped forever and praised for eternity.

and He is the All-Wise, means, in all that He says and does, legislates and decrees.

the All-Aware. from Whom nothing at all is hidden or concealed. Ma0lik narrated that Az-Zuhri said, He is All-Aware of His creation, All-Wise in His commands. Alla0h says:

(He knows that which goes into the earth and that which comes forth from it,) meaning, He knows the number of raindrops that sink into the depths of the earth, and the seeds that have been sown, and the things that are hidden in it, and He knows what comes forth from that, how many they are, how they grow and what they look like.

(and that which descends from the heaven) means, of raindrops and provision, and what ascends into it, i.e., righteous deeds and other things.

(And He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving.) means, He is Most Merciful to His servants; He does not hasten to punish them, and He forgives the sins of those who repent to Him and put their trust in Him.