سَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَآ أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَآ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ ذَاقُوا۟ بَأْسَنَا ۗ قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُم مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَآ ۖ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا تَخْرُصُونَ 148
Translations
Those who associated [others] with Allāh will say, "If Allāh had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything." Likewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment. Say, "Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow not except assumption, and you are not but misjudging."
Transliteration
Sayaqolu alladhina ashrakoo law sha'a Allahu ma ashrakna wa la abauna wa la harramma min shay'in. Kadhalika kadhdhaba alladhina min qablihim hatta dhaqoo ba'sana. Qul hal indakum min 'ilmin fakhrijuhu lana. In tattabi'oon illa azhzhanna wa in antum illa takhrusun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The polytheists will claim that their idolatry and religious innovations are decreed by Allah's will, thereby attempting to shirk responsibility for their disbelief. Allah refutes this excuse by noting that previous generations made identical claims before experiencing His punishment, and He commands the Prophet to challenge them: if they possess true knowledge for their practices, let them produce it—for they merely follow conjecture and guesswork. Ibn Kathir emphasizes that this response exposes the illogical nature of blaming Allah while simultaneously choosing falsehood, as Allah's will does not compel people to commit sin, but rather grants them free choice within His sovereignty.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of prophethood when the Prophet faced intense opposition from the pagan Arabs of Mecca. The ayah directly addresses the Meccan polytheists' common defense of their idolatry—claiming divine predestination absolves them of responsibility—and was revealed to refute this excuse and clarify the concept of human accountability before Allah.
Related Hadiths
The Hadith of Jabir (Sahih Muslim) where the Prophet stated: 'Every son of Adam is a sinner, but the best of sinners are those who repent,' connects to the theme of human responsibility and choice. Additionally, the Hadith in Sunan At-Tirmidhi regarding predestination where the Prophet clarified that people are not forced into sin reinforces this ayah's message of human agency.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that blaming Allah for our sins and spiritual misguidance is a false excuse—we possess free will and must take responsibility for our choices and beliefs. In contemporary life, it calls us to seek authentic knowledge from credible sources rather than following inherited customs or popular opinion without reflection, and to recognize that true guidance requires conscious effort and sincere seeking, not passive fatalism.
Related Ayahs
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِۦ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا نُّخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُّتَرَاكِبًا وَمِنَ ٱلنَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ وَجَنَّـٰتٍ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَٱلزَّيْتُونَ وَٱلرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَـٰبِهٍ ۗ ٱنظُرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِۦٓ إِذَآ أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكُمْ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which We produce grains arranged in layers. And from the palm trees - of its emerging fruit are clusters hanging low. And [We produce] gardens of grapevines and olives and pomegranates, similar yet varied. Look at [each of] its fruit when it yields and [at] its ripening. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.
وَأَنْ أَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
And to establish prayer and fear Him." And it is He to whom you will be gathered.
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِسْقٌ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِهِمْ لِيُجَـٰدِلُوكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ
And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allāh has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him].
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحُكْمَ وَٱلنُّبُوَّةَ ۚ فَإِن يَكْفُرْ بِهَا هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ فَقَدْ وَكَّلْنَا بِهَا قَوْمًا لَّيْسُوا۟ بِهَا بِكَـٰفِرِينَ
Those are the ones to whom We gave the Scripture and authority and prophethood. But if they [i.e., the disbelievers] deny it, then We have entrusted it to a people who are not therein disbelievers.