ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى ٱللَّهِ يَهْدِى بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ ۚ وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا۟ لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ 88
Translations
That is the guidance of Allāh by which He guides whomever He wills of His servants. But if they had associated others with Allāh, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
Transliteration
Dhālika hudā Allāhi yahdī bihi man yashāʾu min ʿibādihi wa law ashrakū laḥabiṭa ʿanhum mā kānū yaʿmalūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that the guidance mentioned in the preceding verses—bestowed upon the prophets and righteous believers—is from Allah alone, and He grants it to whomever He wills from His servants. The second part serves as a stark warning: if those guided individuals were to commit shirk (associating partners with Allah), all their deeds would become nullified and without reward. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this demonstrates the absolute condition of monotheistic sincerity required for the acceptance of all righteous deeds, and that no amount of good works can compensate for shirk.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-An'am's discussion of the prophets and their guidance (verses 83-89). It concludes the section addressing the spiritual lineage of righteous believers from Adam through Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, emphasizing that their guidance was divinely granted. The surah, revealed in Mecca during the early Islamic period, repeatedly confronts polytheistic practices and reaffirms strict monotheism as the foundation of all acceptable deeds.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever associates partners with Allah, it is as if he has built a house on the brink of a crumbling cliff that will collapse into the Fire' (related in meaning to Sahih Muslim and other collections). Additionally, Surah Al-Kahf 18:110 carries related meaning regarding the acceptance of deeds only through sincere monotheism.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere monotheism is the prerequisite and foundation for all righteous actions—no amount of external good deeds holds value if coupled with the spiritual corruption of shirk. For believers today, it serves as a reminder that conscious intention and pure tawhid must accompany all acts of worship and obedience to Allah.
Related Ayahs
وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن مُّضِلٍّ ۗ أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِعَزِيزٍ ذِى ٱنتِقَامٍ
And whoever Allāh guides - for him there is no misleader. Is not Allāh Exalted in Might and Owner of Retribution?
أَوْ كَظُلُمَـٰتٍ فِى بَحْرٍ لُّجِّىٍّ يَغْشَىٰهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِۦ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِۦ سَحَابٌ ۚ ظُلُمَـٰتٌۢ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَآ أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُۥ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَىٰهَا ۗ وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ ٱللَّهُ لَهُۥ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن نُّورٍ
Or [they are] like darknesses within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds - darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allāh has not granted light - for him there is no light.
فَٱسْتَمْسِكْ بِٱلَّذِىٓ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
So adhere to that which is revealed to you. Indeed, you are on a straight path.
وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ قَصْدُ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَآئِرٌ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ لَهَدَىٰكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
And upon Allāh is the direction of the [right] way, and among them [i.e., the various paths] are those deviating. And if He willed, He could have guided you all.