Surah Az Zumar Tafseer

خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ

He created you (all) from a single person;

means, He created you, with all your varied races, types, languages and colors, from a single soul, who was Adam, peace be upon him.

ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا

then made from him his wife.

who was Hawwa', peace be upon her.

This is like the Ayah:

يَـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَأءً

O mankind!

Have Taqwa of your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created many men and women. (4:1)

وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ الاْأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ

And He has sent down for you of cattle eight pairs.

means, He has created for you from among the cattles, eight pairs. These are the ones that are mentioned in Surah Al-An`am, eight kinds -- a pair of sheep, a pair of goats, a pair of camels and a pair of oxen.

يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ

He creates you in the wombs of your mothers,

means, He forms you in your mothers' wombs.

خَلْقًا مِن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ

creation after creation.

Everyone of you is originally a Nutfah, then he becomes an `Alaqah, then he becomes a Mudghah, then he is created and becomes flesh and bones and nerves and veins, and the Ruh (soul) is breathed into him, and he becomes another type of creation.

فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَـلِقِينَ

So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators. (23:14)

فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلَثٍ

in three veils of darkness,

means, in the darkness of the womb, the darkness of the placenta which blankets and protects the child, and the darkness of the belly.

This was the view of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Ikrimah, Abu Malik, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd.

ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ

Such is Allah your Lord.

means, the One Who created the heavens and the earth and everything in between, and created you and your forefathers, is the Lord.

لَهُ الْمُلْكُ

His is the kingdom,

i.e. To Him belong sovereignty and control over all of that.

لَاا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

La ilaha illa Huwa.

means, no one else should be worshipped except Him alone with no partner or associate.

فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ

How then are you turned away?

means, how can you worship anything besides Him? What has happened to your minds