وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَا يَضُرُّهُمْ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱلْكَافِرُ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ ظَهِيرًا 55
Translations
But they worship rather than Allāh that which does not benefit them or harm them, and the disbeliever is ever, against his Lord, an assistant [to Satan].
Transliteration
Wa ya'budūna min dūni-Allāhi mā lā yanfa'uhum wa lā yaḍurruhum, wa kāna al-kāfiru 'alā rabbihi ẓahīrā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns the practice of worshipping false gods and idols that possess no power to benefit or harm their worshippers, highlighting the futility of polytheism. The phrase 'the disbeliever is a helper against his Lord' (according to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi) means that by rejecting Allah's oneness and turning to idols, the disbeliever becomes an adversary to Allah's divine will and allies himself with Satan against his own Creator. This verse emphasizes the irrationality of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the ingratitude inherent in denying Allah's exclusive right to worship.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Furqan, a Meccan chapter revealed during the early period of Islam when polytheists in Mecca openly worshipped idols and rejected monotheism. The surah addresses the fundamental differences between true guidance and misguidance, making this verse part of the broader Meccan emphasis on tawhid (Islamic monotheism) against the backdrop of Arabian paganism.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk)' (Sahih Bukhari 4:55:535). Additionally, 'Whoever dies while associating partners with Allah will enter the Fire' (Sahih Muslim 1:93).
Themes
Key Lesson
This verse teaches believers to recognize that any object of worship besides Allah—whether material possessions, wealth, status, or false ideologies—is powerless and deserving of rejection. It serves as a reminder that true devotion belongs to Allah alone, and turning away from His oneness is not merely a doctrinal error but an act of rebellion that separates one from divine mercy and guidance.
Related Ayahs
وَقَالَ إِنَّمَا ٱتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْثَـٰنًا مَّوَدَّةَ بَيْنِكُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ ثُمَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُم بِبَعْضٍ وَيَلْعَنُ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًا وَمَأْوَىٰكُمُ ٱلنَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن نَّـٰصِرِينَ
And [Abraham] said, "You have only taken, other than Allāh, idols as [a bond of] affection among you in worldly life. Then on the Day of Resurrection you will deny one another and curse one another, and your refuge will be the Fire, and you will not have any helpers."
لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَىْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَـٰسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ
To Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they call upon besides Him do not respond to them with a thing, except as one who stretches his hands toward water [from afar, calling it] to reach his mouth, but it will not reach it [thus]. And the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in error [i.e., futility].
وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـٰهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۖ فَمَآ أَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ ءَالِهَتُهُمُ ٱلَّتِى يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ لَّمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَمَا زَادُوهُمْ غَيْرَ تَتْبِيبٍ
And We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves. And they were not availed at all by their gods which they invoked other than Allāh when there came the command of your Lord. And they did not increase them in other than ruin.
وَإِذَا حُشِرَ ٱلنَّاسُ كَانُوا۟ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَكَانُوا۟ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَـٰفِرِينَ
And when the people are gathered [that Day], they [who were invoked] will be enemies to them, and they will be deniers of their worship.