لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَٔلُونَ 23
Translations
He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.
Transliteration
Lā yus'alu 'ammā yaf'alu wa hum yus'alūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms Allah's absolute authority and freedom from accountability—He is not questioned about His actions, while all of His creation will be questioned about theirs on the Day of Judgment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this establishes the principle of divine justice and wisdom; Allah's decisions are inherently just even if human reason cannot fully comprehend them, as He possesses perfect knowledge and power. The ayah serves as a corrective to anthropomorphic thinking and reassures believers that divine decree, though sometimes mysterious, is always rooted in supreme wisdom.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Anbiyā, a Meccan chapter that discusses the prophets and divine attributes. It comes in the context of affirming Allah's oneness and majesty, responding implicitly to polytheistic objections and the tendency of disbelievers to question divine wisdom. The surah emphasizes that all creation submits to Allah's will, making this ayah thematically central to the message of absolute monotheism.
Related Hadiths
The principle reflected in this ayah is supported by the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The most truthful word spoken by any poet is the statement of Luqman: 'All good is in Your Hands, and evil is not attributable to You.' This echoes the concept that divine actions are beyond question and rooted in perfect wisdom.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should place complete trust in Allah's decisions without questioning His wisdom, while simultaneously recognizing their own accountability for their deeds—this balance cultivates both humility before the Divine and moral responsibility in earthly life.
Related Ayahs
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَكَفُورٌ
And He is the one who gave you life; then He causes you to die and then will [again] give you life. Indeed, mankind is ungrateful.
أَمْ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا ۖ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ
Or do you feel secure that He who is above would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.
إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَأْتِ بِخَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ
If He wills, He can do away with you and bring forth a new creation.
زَعَمَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُوا۟ ۚ قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّى لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
Those who disbelieve have claimed that they will never be resurrected. Say, "Yes, by my Lord, you will surely be resurrected; then you will surely be informed of what you did. And that, for Allāh, is easy."