بَلْ إِيَّاهُ تَدْعُونَ فَيَكْشِفُ مَا تَدْعُونَ إِلَيْهِ إِن شَآءَ وَتَنسَوْنَ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ 41
Translations
No, it is Him [alone] you would invoke, and He would remove that for which you invoked Him if He willed, and you would forget what you associate [with Him].
Transliteration
Bal iyyahu tad'un fayakshifu ma tad'un ilayhi in sha'a wa tansawna ma tushrikun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rebukes the polytheists who invoke Allah during times of hardship and distress, yet forget their idols in those moments of need—demonstrating that only Allah possesses the power to remove harm. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this verse exposes the irrationality of shirk (polytheism): the idolaters implicitly acknowledge Allah's unique power to answer du'a by turning to Him alone in crisis, yet they continue associating partners with Him in normal circumstances. The ayah serves as a powerful argument for monotheism (tawhid), showing that human nature itself testifies to Allah's oneness.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan chapter primarily concerned with refuting polytheism and establishing monotheism. The broader context addresses how polytheists contradict themselves by worshipping idols while instinctively calling upon Allah alone during calamities, demonstrating the futility of associating partners with Allah.
Related Hadiths
Hadith in Jami' at-Tirmidhi from Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet ﷺ said, 'When you ask, ask from Allah; when you seek help, seek help from Allah.' This reinforces the teaching that all reliance and supplication belong to Allah alone. Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim about the prayer during times of hardship being answered swiftly.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true belief requires consistency: if we acknowledge Allah's power and sovereignty in moments of crisis by calling upon Him alone, we should maintain that acknowledgment in all circumstances rather than associating partners with Him through other practices. It invites believers to recognize the contradiction within disbelief and to strengthen their monotheistic conviction in both prosperity and adversity.
Related Ayahs
وَأَقْسَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ لَئِن جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَةٌ لَّيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهَا ۚ قُلْ إِنَّمَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَآ إِذَا جَآءَتْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
And they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with [i.e., from] Allāh." And what will make you perceive that even if it [i.e., a sign] came, they would not believe.
۞ وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتِ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ
And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.
مَّن يُصْرَفْ عَنْهُ يَوْمَئِذٍ فَقَدْ رَحِمَهُۥ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْمُبِينُ
He from whom it is averted that Day - [Allāh] has granted him mercy. And that is the clear attainment.
وَإِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَةٌ قَالُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ حَتَّىٰ نُؤْتَىٰ مِثْلَ مَآ أُوتِىَ رُسُلُ ٱللَّهِ ۘ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُۥ ۗ سَيُصِيبُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا۟ صَغَارٌ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَعَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَمْكُرُونَ
And when a sign comes to them, they say, "Never will we believe until we are given like that which was given to the messengers of Allāh." Allāh is most knowing of where [i.e., with whom] He places His message. There will afflict those who committed crimes debasement before Allāh and severe punishment for what they used to conspire.