قَالَ أَفَتَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُكُمْ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَضُرُّكُمْ 66
Translations
He said, "Then do you worship instead of Allāh that which does not benefit you at all or harm you?
Transliteration
Qala afata'buduna min duni-llahi ma la yanfa'ukum shay'an wa la yadurrukum
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah contains Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) rhetorical question to his people, condemning their worship of idols that can neither benefit nor harm them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that Ibrahim uses logical reasoning to demonstrate the absurdity of associating partners with Allah—if the idols possess no power to help or hurt, how can they deserve worship? The ayah powerfully contrasts the complete helplessness of false deities with Allah's absolute control and authority.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the narrative of Prophet Ibrahim's confrontation with his idolatrous people regarding their worship of idols. The surah, revealed in Mecca, presents stories of the prophets and their struggles against polytheism. This particular exchange demonstrates Ibrahim's use of rational argumentation to challenge false beliefs—a recurring theme in Meccan surahs addressing polytheism during the early Islamic period.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this ayah, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain hadiths about the Prophet (peace be upon him) explaining that Allah alone deserves worship and that idols are powerless. The principle is reinforced in the hadith about tawhid (monotheism) found throughout the Sihah collections.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true worship must be directed only toward Allah, who alone possesses power and authority, and invites believers to use reason and logic when addressing misconceptions about faith. It reminds us that abandoning false objects of hope and placing complete trust in Allah's dominion is both spiritually necessary and logically sound.