Surah Al-Baqarah 2:31
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · Medinan · Verse 31 of 286
وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنۢبِـُٔونِى بِأَسْمَآءِ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
Translation
He taught Adam all the names [of things], then He showed them to the angels and said, ‘Tell me the names of these if you truly [think you can].’
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And He taught Adam the names, all of them; then He presented them to the angels and said: Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note that what distinguished Adam, the ground of his vicegerency, was knowledge: the God-given capacity to name, to understand, to grasp realities. Ask yourself: humanity's honour is tied to knowledge, the ability to learn, name, and comprehend God's creation. That is a sacred trust, not a neutral gift: my capacity to know is part of what makes me God's vicegerent. It presses me on how I use it. Do I direct the astonishing human gift of knowledge toward understanding my Lord, His creation, and my purpose, the 'names' that matter, or squander it entirely on trivia, distraction, and cleverness that never once turns toward the One who taught me to know at all?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:31 is discussed in 10 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
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