Tafseer of The Forgiver · Ghafir · 40:68
He it is who gives life and causes death; and when He decrees a matter, He but says to it, "Be," and it is.
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 discourse on the explanation of His saying, the Exalted: هُوَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ فَإِذَا قَضَى أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ (68) (He it is Who gives life and causes death, and when He decrees a matter, He only says to it: "Be", and it is.) (40:68)
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad — may Allah bless him and grant him peace —: Say to them, O Muḥammad: ( هُوَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ ) (He it is Who gives life and causes death). He says: say to them: and among His description — exalted be His praise — is that He is the One Who gives life to whom He wills after his death, and causes to die whom He wills among the living after his life. And ( إِذَا قَضَى أَمْرًا ) (when He decrees a matter). He says: and when He decrees the bringing-into-being of one of the matters that He wishes to bring into being ( فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ ) (He only says to it: "Be") — that is, to that which He wishes to bring into being: "Be" — and then that which He wished to bring into being comes into existence, without effort, and without the burden of any toil.
