قُلْ إِنَّمَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۖ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ 108
Translations
Say, "It is only revealed to me that your god is but one God; so will you be Muslims [in submission to Him]?"
Transliteration
Qul innama yuhaa ilayya anna ilahakum ilahun wahid, fahal antum muslimun
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is commanded to proclaim that his revelation contains only one fundamental message: belief in the oneness of Allah (Tawhid). Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir emphasize that despite the diversity of laws and stories in the Quran, its core purpose is to establish that Allah alone is worthy of worship. The rhetorical question 'Will you then submit?' serves as an urgent call to the listener to accept this truth and surrender to Allah's will.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears near the conclusion of Surah Al-Anbiya, which discusses the stories of previous prophets and their unified message of monotheism. It is placed in a Meccan context where the Prophet faced rejection from polytheists, and this verse encapsulates the essential message he was sent to convey: the rejection of idolatry and acceptance of Allah's absolute oneness.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim narrated by Abu Hurairah: 'The first of this ummah who will enter Paradise will be a slave of Allah who feared Him,' connects to the theme of sincere submission (islam). Additionally, Sahih Bukhari records the Prophet's statement emphasizing that his entire mission was to call people to La ilaha illallah (there is no god but Allah).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that the fundamental purpose of all prophetic messages is to unite humanity around the worship of one God alone, and that accepting this truth requires conscious submission to Allah's will. For modern believers, it emphasizes that sincere faith is not merely intellectual acknowledgment but a commitment to surrender one's entire life to divine guidance.
Related Ayahs
ذَٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُۥٓ إِذَا دُعِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُۥ كَفَرْتُمْ ۖ وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِۦ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ فَٱلْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْعَلِىِّ ٱلْكَبِيرِ
[They will be told], "That is because, when Allāh was called upon alone, you disbelieved; but if others were associated with Him, you believed. So the judgement is with Allāh, the Most High, the Grand."
۞ وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا
And your Lord has decreed that you worship not except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.
خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ تَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
He created the heavens and earth in truth. High is He above what they associate with Him.
تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ بُرُوجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَٰجًا وَقَمَرًا مُّنِيرًا
Blessed is He who has placed in the sky great stars and placed therein a [burning] lamp and luminous moon.