Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:60

"And how many a creature carries not its provision; Allah provides for it and for you. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing."

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded those who had accepted Islam in Mecca to emigrate, they feared poverty and destitution. One of them would say, "How can I go to a land where I have no means of livelihood?" So, this verse was revealed.

• "And how many a creature": A "creature" (dābbah) is every soul that moves upon the face of the earth, whether it possesses intellect or not.
• "Carries not its provision": It does not have the strength to carry its own sustenance due to its weakness.
• "Allah provides for it and for you": Meaning, no one provides for those weak creatures except Allah, and He is the only one who provides for you as well, O you who are strong. Even if you are capable of carrying your provisions and earning them, if He had not empowered you and ordained the means of earning for you, you would be more helpless than the creatures that cannot carry their own food.

Interpretations of "Carries not its provision":

• Al-Hasan: It means it does not store it; it wakes up in the morning, and Allah provides for it.
• Ibn Uyaynah: There is nothing that stores food except humans, ants, and mice.
• Others: I have seen the nightingale hoarding in its wings. It is also said that the magpie has hiding places, but it forgets them.

• "And He is the Hearing": Hearing your words: "We fear poverty and destitution."
• "The Knowing": Knowing what is in your inner thoughts.

"And if you asked them, 'Who created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon?' they would surely say, 'Allah.' Then how are they deluded?"