Tafseer of The Light · An-Noor · 24:45
Allah has created every [living] creature from water. And of them are those that move on their bellies, and of them are those that walk on two legs, and of them are those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.
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.
The Qurʾān reciters differed over the reading of the word of Allah: وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ (and Allah created every crawling creature from water). Most of the reciters of Kūfa, with the exception of ʿĀṣim, read: "wa-Llāhu khāliqu kulli dābbatin" (and Allah is the creator of every crawling creature). Most of the reciters of Medina and Baṣra, as well as ʿĀṣim, read: وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ with the accusative of "every" and on the pattern of faʿala. Both are well-known readings with a virtually identical meaning, for the construct state (iḍāfa) in the reading of the one who read "khāliqu" indeed indicates a completed tense. Whichever reading a reciter then chooses, he has got it right.
And His word: خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ — that is to say: from a sperm-drop (nuṭfa). فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ بَطْنِهِ — such as serpents and creatures of that sort. It has been said: the reason that فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ بَطْنِهِ (some of them move about on their belly) was used, even though moving about does not actually take place on the belly — for moving about is in reality something that requires legs — is that animals with legs and animals without legs are mentioned together, and that the word "move about," by way of analogy with the former, is applied to the latter as well, just as (Allah) said: وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ رِجْلَيْنِ — such as birds, وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ أَرْبَعٍ — such as four-footed animals.
When someone asks: how can فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي (some of them move about) be used, when the pronoun "man" is normally for human beings, whereas all these kinds, or most of them, are not human beings? — the answer is: this is a further elaboration of what is comprised in the word وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ , and human beings and four-footed animals and others are all included in it. Then (Allah) said: فَمِنْهُم (some of them), because human beings, four-footed animals, and others are included together in it and are intermingled with one another, so that they were all referred to just as one refers to the children of mankind. After that they were more precisely described by "man" (who), because they had been referred to just as the children of mankind are referred to in particular. يَخْلُقُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ — Allah brings into being whatever He wills of creation. إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ — assuredly, Allah has the power to bring this into being and to create it, and to create whatever He wills of other things; nothing that He intends is impossible for Him.
