Tafsir

Allah is All-Knower of Al-Ghayb (Unseen)Allah affirms His perfect knowledge, from which nothing is hidden, and that He has complete knowledge of whatever every female creature is carrying,وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى الاٌّرْحَامِ(And He knows that which is in the wombs.)31:34, whether male or female, fair or ugly, miserable or happy, whether it will have a long or a short life. Allah said in other Ayat,هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُمْ مِّنَ الاٌّرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ(He knows you well when He created you from the earth, and when you were fetuses.)53:32, and,يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـتِكُـمْ خَلْقاً مِّن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ فِى ظُلُمَـتٍ ثَلَـثٍ(He creates you in the wombs of your mother: creation after creation in three veils of darkness.)39:6 meaning stage after stage.

Allah also said,وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنْسَـنَ مِن سُلَـلَةٍ مِّن طِينٍ - ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَـهُ نُطْفَةً فِى قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ - ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَـماً فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَـمَ لَحْماً ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَـهُ خَلْقاً ءَاخَرَ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَـلِقِينَ(And indeed We created man out of an extract of clay. Thereafter We made him as a Nutfah in a safe lodging. Then We made the Nutfah into a clot, then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation.

So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.)23:12-14 In the two Sahihs it is recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,«إِنَّ خَلْقَ أَحَدِكُمْ يُجْمَعُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُ اللهُ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكًا فَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ، بِكَتْبِ رِزْقِهِ، وَعُمْرِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَشَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيد»(The matter of the creation of one of you is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his provisions, his life span, his deeds, and whether he will be blessed or wretched.") In another Hadith, the Prophet said,«فَيَقُولُ الْمَلَكُ: أَيْ رَبِّ أَذَكَرٌ أَمْ أُنْثَى؟ أَيْ رَبِّ أَشَقِيٌّ أَمْ سَعِيدٌ؟ فَمَا الرِّزْقٌ؟ فَمَا الْأَجَلُ؟ فَيَقُولُ اللهُ: وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَك»(Then the angel asks, "O my Lord!

Is it a male or a female, miserable or happy, what is its provisions and life span" Allah then ordains and the angel records it.) Allah said next,وَمَا تَغِيضُ الاٌّرْحَامُ وَمَا تَزْدَادُ(and by how much the wombs fall short or exceed.) Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdullah bin `Umar said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,«مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ خَمْسٌ، لَا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ إِلَّا اللهُ: لَا يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي غَدٍ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَا تَغِيضُ الْأَرْحَامُ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَتَى يَأْتِي الْمَطَرُ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَلَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ، وَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَتَى تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ إِلَّا الله»(The Keys of the Ghayb (unseen knowledge) are five, nobody knows them but Allah.

Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow except Allah; nobody knows what is in the womb except Allah; nobody knows when it will rain except Allah; no soul knows at what place he will die except Allah; and nobody knows when the (Final) Hour will begin except Allah.) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas that he said,وَمَا تَغِيضُ الاٌّرْحَامُ(and by how much the wombs fall short), this refers to miscarriages,وَمَا تَزْدَادُ(or exceed), this refers to carrying her fetus in her womb for the full term. Some women carry their fetus for ten months, while others for nine months. Some terms are longer or shorter than others. This is the falling short or exceeding that Allah the Exalted mentioned, and all this occurs by His knowledge." Qatadah commented on Allah's statement,وَكُلُّ شَىْءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقْدَارٍ(Everything with Him is in proportion.) "For a term appointed.

Allah has the records of the provisions and terms of His creation and made an appointed term for everything." An authentic Hadith mentioned that one of the Prophet's daughters sent (a messenger) to him requesting him to come as her child was dying, but the Prophet returned the messenger ﷺ and told him to say to her,«إِنَّ للهِ مَا أَخَذَ، وَلَهُ مَا أَعْطَى، وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ عِنْدَهُ بِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى، فَمُرُوهَا فَلْتَصْبِرْ وَلْتَحْتَسِب»(Verily, whatever Allah takes is for Him and whatever He gives is for Him, and everything with Him has a limited fixed term (in this world), and so she should be patient and hope for Allah's reward.) Allah said next,عَـلِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ(All-Knower of the Ghayb (the unseen) and the Shahadah (the witnessable),) Who knows everything that the servants see and all what they cannot see, and none of it ever escapes His knowledge,الْكَبِيرُ(the Most Great), greater than everything,الْمُتَعَالِ(the Most High.) above everything,قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمَا((Allah) surrounds all things in (His) knowledge.)65:12, and has full power over all things, the necks are under His control and the servants are subservient to Him, willingly or unwillingly.

Here, it was said: اللَّـهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ الْأَرْ‌حَامُ وَمَا تَزْدَادُ ۖ وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقْدَارٍ‌ ٍ. It means that Allah Ta ala knows everything about what every woman carries in her womb - a boy or girl, beautiful or otherwise, good or evil - and about why wombs of women decrease or increase, that is, about the time of delivery, whether early, in due time, or late.

Stated in this verse is a particular attribute of Allah Ta’ ala: That He is the Knower of the Unseen (` Alim al-Ghayb). He is aware of the minutest of this entire universe and that of everything created in it, and He is most comprehensively informed of all changing conditions of each such particle. Mentioned along with it is the fact of all-inclusive and most perfect knowledge of every stage, every change, and every trait in the complex process of human procreation. For instance, it is He alone who has the ultimate knowledge - the most sound, the most certain - of female pregnancy - a boy or girl? Or, both? Or, nothing but the accumulation of clusters of water or gas? Whatever opinion a physician gives in this matter as based on clinical indicators and educated guess cannot be taken to be any more than strong likelihood or estimate. There are times when things turn out to be otherwise. Even X-rays and more modern Imaging techniques fail to unravel the reality of this phenomena as due. We can only say that its real and certain knowledge can be credited only to Allah Ta` ala.

This is what has been stated in another verse of the Qur’ an which says: (And He knows whatever there is in wombs - Luqman, 31:34).

The word: تَغِیض (taghudu: decrease) is used in the sense of becoming less or dried up. In the present verse, set against the word: تَزدَاد (tazdad increase), it becomes clear that, at this place, it means decrease. Thus, it means that the most correct and sound knowledge of 'what the wombs decrease or increase' rests with none but Allah Ta` ala. This 'increase' and 'decrease' could be referring to the increase or decrease in the number of children to be born, that is, whether the womb contains only one child, or has more than one. It is also possible that it may be denoting the increase or decrease in the period of actual delivery of the child, that is, in how many months, days, and hours, this pregnancy will translate into the outward physical existence of a human being. This too is something the absolutely certain knowledge of which cannot be claimed by any-one other than Allah Ta` ala.

Tafsir authority Mujahid has said that the blood excreted by a woman in pregnancy becomes the cause of decrease in the size and health of the fetus. The Qur’ anic expression: تَغِيضُ الْأَرْ‌حَامُ ('the wombs decrease' ) means this decrease - and the truth of the matter is that the words of the verse cover decreases of all kinds, therefore, no contradiction exists here.

Said in the last sentence of verse وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقْدَارٍ (And everything has measure with Him). It means that there can be no decrease or in-crease from the norm set with Allah Ta’ ala. All states through which a child-to-be-born passes are also included under this statement, that is, everything pertaining to such a child lies determined with Allah who knows for how many days the child will stay in the womb, then, for how long it will continue to live in the world, and how much of sustenance it will receive. This matchless knowledge of Allah Ta` ala is an open proof of His Oneness (Tauhd).