ALL PRAISE is due to God, who has created the heavens and the earth, and brought into being deep darkness as well as light:1 and yet, those who are bent on denying the truth regard other powers as their Sustainer's equals!
Asad Translation Note Number :
Both "darkness" and "light" are used here in their spiritual connotation. As always in the Qur'an, "darkness" is spoken of in the plural (zulumat) in order to stress its intensity, and is best translated as "deep darkness" or "depths of darkness".
Malik Quran Translation
All praise be to Allah, the One Who has created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and the light; yet the unbelievers set up equal partners with their Rabb.
Yusuf Ali Quran Translation
Praise be to Allah Who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Yet those who reject Faith hold (others) as equal with their Guardian-Lord. 834835
Yusuf Ali Translation Note Number :
Adala has various meanings: (1) to hold something as equal to something else, as here; to balance nicely; (2) to deal justly, as between one party and another, xiii.15; (3) to give compensation or reparation, or something as equivalent to something else, vi. 70; (4) to turn the balance the right way, to give a right disposition, to give a just bias or proportion, lxxxii. 7; (5) to turn the balance the wrong way, to swerve, to show bias. iv 135.
The argument is threefold: (1) God created everything you see and know: how can you then set up any of His own creatures as equal to Him? (2) He is your own Guardian-Lord; He cherishes and loves you: how can you be so ungrateful as to run after something else? (3) Darkness and Light are to help you to distinguish between the true from the false: how then can you confound the true God with your false ideas and superstitions? There may also be a repudiation of the Duality of old Persian theology; Light and Darkness are not conflicting Powers; they are both creatures of the one true God.
Mustafa Khattab Quran Translation
All praise is for Allah Who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light.1 Yet the disbelievers set up equals to their Lord ˹in worship˺.
Mustafa Khattab Translation Note Number :
“Light” is always used in the Quran in the singular (nûr), whereas “darkness” is used in the plural (ẓulumât). Nûr is usually used in a metaphorical sense to refer to true guidance, whereas ẓulumât refers to different forms of misguidance.
Piktal Quran Translation
Praise be to Allah, Who hath created the heavens and the earth, and hath appointed darkness and light. Yet those who disbelieve ascribe rivals unto their Lord.
