Kun Faya Kun — “Be, and it is” (Quran 36:82)
“Kun faya kun” is the transliteration of the Quranic phrase that closes verse 82 of Surah Ya-Sin, the 36th chapter of the Quran. Abdel Haleem renders it “‘Be’ — and it is,” describing how a thing comes into being when God wills it. The verse sits in Juz 23 of the Meccan surah; the same phrase also occurs elsewhere in the Quran, and it is widely quoted.
when He wills something to be, His way is to say, “Be”- and it is!
English translation by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur’an (Oxford University Press).
Context
Verse 82 is the second-to-last verse of Surah Ya-Sin (83 verses) and belongs to its closing passage on creation and resurrection: verse 81 asks whether He who created the heavens and earth is not able to create the like of these people, and verse 83 ends the surah — “So glory be to Him in whose Hand lies control over all things. It is to Him that you will all be brought back.” The same phrase kun fa-yakun also appears at 2:117, 3:47, 3:59, 6:73, 16:40, 19:35 and 40:68.
Reference
- Surah
- 36. Ya-Sin
- Ayah
- 82
- Juz
- Juz 23
- Revelation
- Meccan (Mecca)
From the tafsir
“He only needs to command a thing once; it does not need to be repeated or confirmed. When Allah wants a thing to happen, He only says to it: "Be!" once, and it is.”
English tafsir abridged from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Hafiz Ibn Kathir), abridgement by Shaykh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri (Darussalam), via Quran.com.
Read the full tafsir of Surah Ya-Sin
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