Ayah 52:36

أَمْ خَلَقُوا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۚ بَل لَّا يُوقِنُونَ

Did they create the heavens and the earth? No! They do not have faith.

Rhetorical challenge and rebuke

This verse continues the thread of rebuke for a lack of deep thinking about creation:

  • “Did they create the skies and the earth?!”
  • If not, who did?!

It calls out neglect in reflecting on origin and Creator.

Language points and insights

يُوقِنُونَ (Yooqinoona) comes from the verb يَقِنَ (Yaqina), from which يَقِين (Yaqeen) comes. It carries the meaning of becoming realised, firmly established and clear.

  • It is said in Arabic يَقِنَ المَاءَ (Yaqina-l-Maa’) to mean that the water is clear and ripple-free — crystal clear.
  • It also carries the meaning of the removal of any doubt: the realisation of certainty.
يَقِين (Yaqeen) يَقِنَ (Yaqina) يُوقِنُونَ (Yooqinoona) يَقِنَ المَاءَ

“They don’t want clarity”

In Allah’s statement لَّا يُوقِنُونَ — “They don’t want clarity or don’t want to reach certainty.”

  • They lack convincing answers for their own creation or the creation of the heavens and the earth.
  • The truth is: they do not want a conviction, based on absolute clarity, that establishes Allah as their Creator.

Contrast: believers and certainty

In contrast Allah describes the believers:

وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ
“And who believe in what has been revealed to you, and what was revealed before you, and in the Hereafter, they have complete conviction” (Al-Baqarah: 4).

Here, يُوقِنُونَ highlights a state of conviction grounded in clarity.

Mindset and consequence

Adopting a position of ignorance regarding their creation provides them with the licence to continue to do whatever they want.

  • Refusal of clarity sustains moral avoidance.
  • The verse exposes this avoidance through the creation challenge.

Key takeaways

  • The verse rebukes neglect of deep reflection on the origin of the skies and the earth.
  • يُوقِنُونَ stems from a root denoting clarity and removal of doubt, like ripple-free water.
  • لَّا يُوقِنُونَ: a willful stance against attaining clarity that would establish Allah as Creator.
  • Believers are marked by conviction: هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ.
  • Choosing ignorance functions as a licence to continue doing whatever they want.