He makes laugh and cry
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَىٰ
“And that He, He is the one who makes one laugh and makes one cry”.
Overview and Core Theme
The verse encapsulates the full human emotional range—summarised in two words: laughter and crying—while attributing their cause and expression solely to Allah.
- Connected to the ultimate end being with Allah; the journey culminates in emotions that include both laughing and crying.
- Allah has brought about the laughter and crying within us as reactions to the stimuli we face; He created and causes these emotional responses.
Language Insights
Related to الضَّحَك (Ad-Dahak — “Laughter”)
- الضَّحُوك (Ad-Dahook): a road that is wide open.
- الضَّاحِك (Ad-Daahik): a white rock seen on a mountain.
- These meanings relate to a wide smile and showing of teeth—imagery of openness and brightness.
Related to البَكَاء (Al-Bakaa’ — “Crying”)
- البَكَى (Al-Bakaa): a plant or tree that sheds a white milky substance/sap when cut.
- Suggests liquid emerging from within bit by bit—like being squeezed out.
Views of Scholars of Tafsir
Ibn ‘Āshūr
By mentioning laughter and crying, Allah encompasses human conditions in a concise manner—two words capturing the emotional state.
Ibn ‘Āshūr and Al-Ālūsī
It is Allah who created these emotions.
“What a loving Creator we have, that created the reasons for laughter and laughter itself.”
Key Insights
- In this life, Allah created every circumstance that led to every emotion.
- The span between laughter and crying implies the entire spectrum that lies between the two.
- The addition of هُوَ after أَنَّهُ implies exclusivity—Allah alone brought about these emotional reactions.
- Laughter and crying are human emotions created by Allah and should not be suppressed unnaturally.
- Instead of saying Allah gives “joy” and “sadness,” the verse indicates He gives the way to express joy and to cope with sadness.
- Laughter is mentioned before crying—pointing to an original precedence of joy; when joys are absent, Allah grants moments to cry to cope. This precedence reflects His love and favor.
Material Limits vs. Revelation
Darwin described crying as purposeless—an assessment bounded by material parameters.
This reflects the statement:
ذَٰلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ “That is their extent (or limit) of knowledge”
When knowledge is limited to the material, profound human experiences are reduced to “useless” processes—stripping emotions and, by extension, life of meaning and value.
The Qur’an as a Cause of Tears and Joy
وَإِذَا سَمِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ تَرَىٰ أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُوا مِنَ الْحَقِّ And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they have recognized of the truth.
قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ Say: “In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate”.
Not only is He the cause of laughter and crying, but His word is also a cause for both.
At a Glance
Who causes it?
Allah alone creates and causes laughter and crying—He designed our emotional expressions.
What is encompassed?
The entire human emotional spectrum—summarised between laughter and tears.
How is it expressed?
Beyond states of joy or sadness, He gives the means to express joy and to cope with sadness.
Why laughter first?
It indicates the original precedence of joy and reflects His love and favor.