Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:78
And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted is His remembrance, says: And Allah created you, O people, and brought you into being while you were nothing — not the gods whom you worship besides Him. Worship, therefore, the One Who created you and no other. ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ — He says: Then He causes you to die and withdraws you.
[This verse (16:70) has been included here by the commentator as an introduction to 16:78. The text continues concerning verse 16:78:]
Allah, exalted is His remembrance, says: And Allah made known to you what you did not know, after He had brought you forth from the bellies of your mothers while you understood nothing and knew nothing. He gave you intellect by which you understand and by which you distinguish the good from the evil, and with it He opened your eyes to what you did not see before. And He made for you the hearing by which you hear sounds — so that you understand from one another what you discuss among yourselves — and the sight by which you see persons and recognize one another and distinguish the one from the other. وَالأفْئِدَةَ — He says: And the hearts by which you recognize things, retain them, reflect upon them, and understand them. لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ — He says: This We did for you — so be grateful to Allah for the favors He has bestowed upon you therein, and not to the gods and the rivals, to whom you have ascribed partnership with Him in gratitude, while He had no partner in the favors He has bestowed upon you.
And His word وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُمْ مِنْ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا is a completed sentence; thereafter a new statement begins, in which it is said: And Allah gave you the hearing, the sight, and the hearts. We say this because Allah, exalted is His remembrance, made the faculty of worship, the hearing, the sight, and the hearts before He brought them forth from the bellies of their mothers, whereas He gave them knowledge and intellect only after He had brought them forth from the bellies of their mothers.
