Spreading out provision (basṭ al-rizq)
يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ
yabsuṭu l-rizqa — spreads out the provision
Nine of the ten given verses pair the imperfect verb yabsuṭu with the object al-rizqa, and each of those nine continues with a form of wa-yaqdiru ("and measures"), so that expansion of provision is presented together with its measured limitation; the tenth verse (42:27) states the same pairing as a counterfactual with the perfect verb.
In the verses given, the expression is a recurring statement about provision: a third-masculine-singular imperfect verb from ب س ط takes al-rizqa as its accusative object. In nine verses (13:26; 17:30; 28:82; 29:62; 30:37; 34:36; 34:39; 39:52; 42:12) the subject is Allah or "your Lord"/"my Lord" — in eight of the nine the subject is named as Allah or "your Lord"/"my Lord", while in 42:12 it is the implicit "He" to whom the control-handles belong — and in all nine of these the clause is followed by a verb from ق د ر (wa-yaqdiru, wa-yaqdiru lahu), so that spreading out and measuring are stated as paired acts of the same subject. The clause لِمَن يَشَاءُ ("for whom He wills") appears in all nine imperfect occurrences, and three of them add مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ("among His servants") (28:82; 29:62; 34:39), while 42:27 has لِعِبَادِهِ in place of لِمَن يَشَاءُ. The contexts vary: the statement answers exultation in the lowly life (13:26), is introduced by commands to say it (34:36; 34:39), by rhetorical questions about seeing or knowing (30:37; 39:52), by a speaker acknowledging it after a loss (28:82), and by a claim of control over the heavens and the earth (42:12). Verse 42:27 stands apart grammatically: it uses the perfect بَسَطَ in a conditional clause introduced by وَلَوْ, with لِعِبَادِهِ in place of لِمَن يَشَاءُ, and it gives an explicit consequence — were provision spread out for His servants, they would act unjustly on the earth — followed by يُنَزِّلُ بِقَدَرٍ ("He sends it down in a measured way"). Read together, the verses show the expression functioning as a fixed statement whose pairing of expansion with measurement is constant while its framing varies.
Where it occurs
- 13:26 States that Allah spreads out provision for whom He wills and measures it, set against exultation in the lowly life.
- 17:30 Attributes the spreading and measuring of provision to "your Lord", followed by a statement that He is fully aware and seeing regarding His servants.
- 28:82 Placed in the speech of those who had wished for another's position, who acknowledge that Allah outspreads provision for whom He wills among His servants.
- 29:62 States the spreading and measuring of provision for whom Allah wills among His servants, followed by a statement of His knowledge of everything.
- 30:37 Framed as a rhetorical question ("Have they then not seen..."), with the act said to contain signs for a people who trust.
- 34:36 Introduced by a command to say it, adding that most of the people do not know.
- 34:39 Introduced by a command to say it, followed by a statement that whatever is spent He replaces, and that He is the best of providers.
- 39:52 Framed as a rhetorical question ("Have they not known..."), with the act said to contain signs for a people who trust.
- 42:12 Follows the statement that to Him belong the control-handles of the heavens and the earth, and ends with a statement of His knowledge of everything.
- 42:27 Uses the perfect بَسَطَ in a counterfactual: if Allah were to spread out provision for His servants, they would act unjustly on the earth; instead He sends it down in a measured way.
All Qur'anic expressions