قُلْ أَرَءَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَىٰكُمْ عَذَابُ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ أَتَتْكُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ تَدْعُونَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ 40
Translations
Say, "Have you considered: if there came to you the punishment of Allāh or there came to you the Hour - is it other than Allāh you would invoke, if you should be truthful?"
Transliteration
Qul ara'aytakum in atakum 'adhab-Allah aw atattakum as-sa'ah a-ghayra Allah tad'un in kuntum sadiqin
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet (peace be upon him) to ask the idolaters a rhetorical question: if God's punishment or the Hour came upon them, would they call upon anyone other than Allah for help, if they were truthful in their claims? This ayah exposes the logical inconsistency of the polytheists who deny Allah's oneness yet implicitly acknowledge His supremacy in times of crisis. Classical exegetes like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir emphasize that this question serves as a powerful argument demonstrating that the idolaters' own conscience testifies to Allah's exclusive power and authority.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan surah that extensively addresses polytheism and argues for monotheism through logical reasoning. The surah uses rhetorical questions and rational arguments to challenge the pagan Arabs' idolatry, fitting within the broader Meccan theme of calling people to accept Allah as the sole deity worthy of worship.
Related Hadiths
The concept is supported by the general principle found in various hadith collections that even polytheists acknowledged Allah as their ultimate Lord in times of distress. See Surah Az-Zumar 39:8 which conveys a similar theme about people calling upon Allah exclusively during hardship.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that human conscience inherently recognizes Allah's supremacy, and that logical reasoning can effectively demonstrate the falsehood of associating partners with Allah. For modern readers, it invites reflection on how even those who outwardly deny God often turn to Him sincerely in moments of genuine crisis, revealing the truth written in the human heart.
Related Ayahs
وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَٱلْيَسَعَ وَيُونُسَ وَلُوطًا ۚ وَكُلًّا فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
And Ishmael and Elisha and Jonah and Lot - and all [of them] We preferred over the worlds.
قُلْ هَلُمَّ شُهَدَآءَكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ حَرَّمَ هَـٰذَا ۖ فَإِن شَهِدُوا۟ فَلَا تَشْهَدْ مَعَهُمْ ۚ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَهُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Bring forward your witnesses who will testify that Allāh has prohibited this." And if they testify, do not testify with them. And do not follow the desires of those who deny Our verses and those who do not believe in the Hereafter, while they equate [others] with their Lord.
ثُمَّ لَمْ تَكُن فِتْنَتُهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ وَٱللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ
Then there will be no [excuse upon] examination except they will say, "By Allāh, our Lord, we were not those who associated."
وَمِنَ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ حَمُولَةً وَفَرْشًا ۚ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
And of the grazing livestock are carriers [of burdens] and those [too] small. Eat of what Allāh has provided for you and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.