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.
إِنَّمَآ أَمْرُهُۥٓ إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيْـًٔا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
82when He wills something to be, His way is to say, “Be”- and it is!
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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