Tafseer of The Romans · Ar-Room · 30:21
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.
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 explanation of His statement, the Exalted: وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ("And among His signs is that He created for you from yourselves spouses, that you might find rest in them, and He placed between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are signs indeed for a people who reflect") (30:21).
The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: and among His proofs and indications concerning that is likewise His creating for your father Ādam, from himself, a spouse so that he might find rest in her; and that is because He created Ḥawwāʾ from a rib of the ribs of Ādam.
As Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, [concerning] وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا ("And among His signs is that He created for you from yourselves spouses"): He created her for you from a rib of his ribs.
And His statement: وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً ("and He placed between you affection and mercy"), He says: He placed between you, through the contracting of marriage-kinship and affinity by marriage, affection (mawadda) by which you love one another and on account of which you become bound to one another, وَرَحْمَةً ("and mercy"), by which He showed mercy toward you, so that He made some of you, through it, well-disposed toward others. إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ("Verily, in that are signs indeed for a people who reflect"), the Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: verily, in His doing of that lie lessons indeed and admonitions for a people who reflect upon the proofs of Allah and His indications, so that they may know that He is the Godhead who is not rendered incapable by anything He wills, and for whom the doing of nothing He desires is impossible.
