Qur'an & Tafsir
Summary
The Qur'an repeatedly states that Allah created everything in 'pairs' - a term covering male and female as well as every kind of contrasting duality, including pairs humans have not yet come to know - so that people may reflect and recognise their Creator. Q1T1Q2T2Q5T5
Key points
- 51:49 states pairs were created 'so that you may heed'; al-Jalalayn explains the examples (heaven/earth, sun/moon, sweet/bitter, light/darkness) are meant to lead the reflective person to realise that the Creator of all these pairs is Himself Singular, and so worthy of worship alone. Q1T1
- 53:45 specifies one dimension of pairing directly: 'He creates the pairs, male and female' - the two kinds, as al-Jalalayn glosses it. Q5T5
- 36:36 widens the scope beyond male and female to 'whatever the earth grows,' to humans, and to 'that which they do not know'; Maarif-ul-Quran explains this includes contrasting categories like chill/heat, land/water, sorrow/happiness and health/sickness, and suggests male-female-like pairing may exist even in minerals and other elements not yet discovered. Q2T2
References
- Q1Adh-Dhariyat 51:49 · The Winnowing Winds
- Q2Ya-Sin 36:36 · Ya Sin
- Q5An-Najm 53:45 · The Star
- T1Al-Jalalayn on 51:49
- T2Maarif-ul-Quran on 36:36
- T5Al-Jalalayn on 53:45
Sunnah
Summary
Hadith apply the language of 'witr' (the odd, the single) to Allah Himself, teaching that while His creation comes in pairs, He alone is One without like, and He loves odd-numbered acts of worship. H4H1
Key points
- Sahih al-Bukhari records: 'Allah has ninety-nine Names... and Allah is witr (one) and loves the witr' (odd numbers). H4
- In Ibn Majah's narration the Prophet told 'the people of the Qur'an' to pray Witr 'for Allah is Witr,' with the report's note glossing Witr as meaning 'one' - unique, with nothing similar or equal to Him. H1
References
- H1Sunan Ibn Majah 1169 · Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding ThemAuthenticity
- Sahih Al-Albani
- Sahih Muhammad Fouad Abd al-Baqi
- Daif Zubair Ali Zai
- H4Sahih al Bukhari 6410 · InvocationsAuthenticity
- Sahih — the whole collection is accepted as authentic (Sahih al-Bukhari)
Reflection & guidance
- Guidance from the Qur'an
The verses call the reader to reflect (tadhakkur, 51:49) on the paired nature of creation, and Ya-Sin opens with 'Pure/Glory is He who created all the pairs' (36:36) - directing the heart from observing this universal duality to declaring Allah transcendent above every imperfection His creation shows. Q1Q2
- Guidance from the Sunnah
The Prophet taught 'Allah is Witr (One) and loves the witr,' pairing this declaration with the enumeration of His ninety-nine names, and he himself prayed and commanded the odd-numbered Witr prayer - tying an act of worship to the theological truth of Allah's oneness. H4H1
- Guidance from the scholars
Al-Sindi explains Allah's oneness in three respects - indivisible in essence, unlike anything in attributes, unaided by any partner in action - while Ibn Hajar reports al-Qurtubi's view that the hadith calls believers to tawhid: that Allah alone, unlike everything paired that He creates, has no like or partner. C1C6
- Lesson for the reader
The Qur'an's repeated notice that everything else is created in pairs is meant to turn reflection toward the one exception - Allah - who alone is single, matchless and worthy of worship without partner. Q1T1C6
Conclusion
The Qur'an teaches that Allah created "pairs" throughout creation - not only male and female but every kind of contrasting duality, including pairs people do not yet know about - so that this observation would lead them to reflect and recognise their Creator. Hadith and their commentators extend the reflection theologically: Allah alone is called "Witr" (One), utterly unlike the paired things He brings into being, and He loves odd-numbered worship as an echo of that Oneness.
Hadith Commentaries
Summary
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and al-Sindi explain that calling Allah 'Witr' affirms His absolute, indivisible Oneness, setting Him apart from everything else He creates in pairs or numbers. C1C6
Key points
References