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سُورَةُ الشُّورَىٰ · 42:50
MeccanRevelation order ٦٢Juzʾ ٢٥Page ٤٨٨

أَوْ يُزَوِّجُهُمْ ذُكْرَانًۭا وَإِنَٰثًۭا ۖ وَيَجْعَلُ مَن يَشَآءُ عَقِيمًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۭ قَدِيرٌۭ

٥٠
Saheeh International · EN

Or He makes them [both] males and females, and He renders whom He wills barren. Indeed, He is Knowing and Competent.

IntroductionRevelationTafsirTransmissionDebate
Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 50 of Sūrat Ash-Shura (The Consultation), the 62nd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 25. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
62 of 114
Surah
Ash-Shura (42)

No specific occasion of revelation (Asbāb al-Nuzūl) is recorded for this āyah in al-Wāḥidī's collection. Many verses were revealed without a single triggering event.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows female upon whom He wills, and bestows male upon whom He wills (49)Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Verily, He is the All-Knower and is Able (to do all things)(50) Allah tells us that He is the Creator, Sovereign and Controller of the heavens and the earth. Whatever he wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen. He gives to whomsoever He wills and withholds from whomsoever he wills; none can withhold what He gives, and none can give what He withholds, and He creates whatever He wills. يَهَبُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ إِنَاثًا (He bestows female upon whom He wills.) means, He gives them daughters only. Al-Baghawi said, "And among them (those who were given daughters only) was Lut, peace be upon him." وَيَهَبُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ الذُّكُورَ (and b…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

The wall

And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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