فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَىٰهُمَا صَـٰلِحًا جَعَلَا لَهُۥ شُرَكَآءَ فِيمَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمَا ۚ فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ 190
Translations
But when He gives them a good [child], they ascribe partners to Him concerning that which He has given them. Exalted is Allāh above what they associate with Him.
Transliteration
Falamma atahuma salihan jaalaa lahu shuraka'a fima atahuma fataalallahu amma yushrikun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how when Allah grants a couple a righteous child, they associate partners with Allah in their gratitude and supplication, attributing the blessing partly to idols or false deities alongside Allah. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain this as referring to the polytheists of Mecca who would invoke their idols when asking for children, and then ascribe the blessing to these false gods. The ayah concludes with Allah's transcendence above such shirk (polytheism), emphasizing that He alone deserves all praise and recognition as the sole Giver of blessings.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within a passage (7:189-190) discussing the creation of spouses and the birth of children as divine blessings. The broader context of Surah Al-A'raf addresses the signs of Allah and the ingratitude and shirk of those who reject monotheism. This specific verse reflects the pre-Islamic Arabian practice where pagan Arabs would pray to idols for children and offspring, then thank the idols alongside Allah when blessed with children.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'When a child is born to any of you, let him not name it after his forefathers' suggests the importance of proper Islamic practice in welcoming children. Additionally, hadiths emphasizing pure tawhid (monotheism) in all acts of worship relate to the prohibition of shirk mentioned in this verse.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to maintain complete monotheism in all circumstances, especially when receiving blessings like children, ensuring that gratitude and supplication are directed solely to Allah without associating partners with Him. It serves as a reminder that acknowledging the true source of all blessings—Allah alone—is fundamental to Islamic faith and prevents the subtle forms of shirk that can enter our hearts when we forget Divine dependence.
Related Ayahs
فَخَلَفَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ وَرِثُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يَأْخُذُونَ عَرَضَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْأَدْنَىٰ وَيَقُولُونَ سَيُغْفَرُ لَنَا وَإِن يَأْتِهِمْ عَرَضٌ مِّثْلُهُۥ يَأْخُذُوهُ ۚ أَلَمْ يُؤْخَذْ عَلَيْهِم مِّيثَـٰقُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَن لَّا يَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْحَقَّ وَدَرَسُوا۟ مَا فِيهِ ۗ وَٱلدَّارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
And there followed them successors who inherited the Scripture [while] taking the commodities of this lower life and saying, "It will be forgiven for us." And if an offer like it comes to them, they will [again] take it. Was not the covenant of the Scripture [i.e., the Torah] taken from them that they would not say about Allāh except the truth, and they studied what was in it? And the home of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allāh, so will you not use reason?
وَٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُۥ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِۦ ۖ وَٱلَّذِى خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ
And the good land - its vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord; but that which is bad - nothing emerges except sparsely, with difficulty. Thus do We diversify the signs for a people who are grateful.
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَىٰ وَقَوْمَهُۥ لِيُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَءَالِهَتَكَ ۚ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَـٰهِرُونَ
And the eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, "Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?" [Pharaoh] said, "We will kill their sons and keep their women alive; and indeed, we are subjugators over them."
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِأَخِى وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِى رَحْمَتِكَ ۖ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
[Moses] said, "My Lord, forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the most merciful of the merciful."