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
فَقُلْنَا ٱضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُحْىِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَيُرِيكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
So We said, "Strike him [i.e., the slain man] with part of it." Thus does Allāh bring the dead to life, and He shows you His signs that you might reason.
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."
وَإِن نَّشَأْ نُغْرِقْهُمْ فَلَا صَرِيخَ لَهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنقَذُونَ
And if We should will, We could drown them; then no one responding to a cry would there be for them, nor would they be saved
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ مُنذِرٌ ۖ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَـٰهٍ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "I am only a warner, and there is not any deity except Allāh, the One, the Prevailing,