وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ٱلْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ ۖ وَخَرَقُوا۟ لَهُۥ بَنِينَ وَبَنَـٰتٍۭ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ 100
Translations
But they have attributed to Allāh partners - the jinn, while He has created them - and have fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Exalted is He and high above what they describe.
Transliteration
Wa ja'alu lilLahi shurakaa'a al-jinna wa khalaqahum, wa kharaqoo lahu banina wa banatin bighayri 'ilm. Subhanahu wa ta'ala 'amma yasfun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns the polytheists of Mecca who associated the jinn as partners with Allah in worship, despite Allah being their Creator. Ibn Kathir explains that the Quraysh attributed false offspring (sons and daughters) to Allah without any knowledge or evidence, which is an absurd claim that contradicts divine perfection. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that the ayah serves to exonerate Allah from such false attributions through the phrase 'Subhanahu wa ta'ala' (Glorified and Exalted is He), highlighting the vast distance between Allah's perfect nature and the baseless claims of the idolaters.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period when the pagan Arabs of Mecca engaged in rampant shirk (polytheism). It addresses their specific belief that jinn possessed divine authority and their false claim that angels were daughters of Allah. The broader context of Surah Al-An'am emphasizes tawhid (monotheism) and refutes various forms of polytheistic practices prevalent in pre-Islamic Arabia.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (4:54:445) where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'The most grievous sin is to associate partners with Allah,' directly relates to the prohibition mentioned in this ayah. Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim regarding the severity of shirk reinforces the importance of this Quranic message.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that associating partners with Allah in worship or attributing false characteristics to Him is fundamentally irrational and sinful, regardless of how widespread such beliefs may be in society. Muslims should recognize that true knowledge comes from revelation, not from cultural traditions or false claims, and should steadfastly maintain belief in Allah's absolute oneness and perfect attributes.
Related Ayahs
۞ وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ وَلَا تَنقُصُوا۟ ٱلْمِكْيَالَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ ۚ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُم بِخَيْرٍ وَإِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ مُّحِيطٍ
And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. And do not decrease from the measure and the scale. Indeed, I see you in prosperity, but indeed, I fear for you the punishment of an all-encompassing Day.
وَٱتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ ءَابَآءِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۚ مَا كَانَ لَنَآ أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ
And I have followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And it was not for us to associate anything with Allāh. That is from the favor of Allāh upon us and upon the people, but most of the people are not grateful.
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُ ٱلْأَمْرُ كُلُّهُۥ فَٱعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
And to Allāh belong the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth and to Him will be returned the matter, all of it, so worship Him and rely upon Him. And your Lord is not unaware of that which you do.
مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ٱتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ ٱلْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ
The example of those who take allies other than Allāh is like that of the spider who takes [i.e., constructs] a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.