لَّا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتَقْعُدَ مَذْمُومًا مَّخْذُولًا 22
Translations
Do not make [as equal] with Allāh another deity and [thereby] become censured and forsaken.
Transliteration
La taj'al ma'a Allahi ilahan akhara fataq'ud madhmuman makhdhula
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the avoidance of associating partners with Allah (shirk), warning that doing so results in being condemned and forsaken by Allah. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this is a fundamental principle of tawhid (monotheism), emphasizing that polytheism is the gravest sin and leads to abandonment by Allah in this life and severe punishment in the Hereafter. The words 'madhmuman' (despised/blamed) and 'makhdhula' (forsaken/abandoned) underscore both social disgrace and spiritual desolation that befalls those who commit shirk.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Isra, a Meccan surah that emphasizes core Islamic doctrines. It occurs within a section containing commandments related to monotheism and righteous conduct, following the command to worship Allah alone and preceding instructions on kindness to parents and social ethics. The thematic context emphasizes that tawhid is the foundation upon which all other religious obligations rest.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk), though He has created you' (Sahih Bukhari 4477). Additionally, 'Whoever meets Allah associating partners with Him will enter the Fire' (Sahih Muslim 93).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere belief in the Oneness of Allah is the cornerstone of a dignified and spiritually fulfilled life, while associating partners with Him leads to both worldly disgrace and divine abandonment. For believers, it serves as a powerful reminder to continuously purify their intentions and ensure that all worship, obedience, and reliance are directed solely to Allah.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ رَبُّنَا ٱلَّذِىٓ أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلْقَهُۥ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ
He said, "Our Lord is He who gave each thing its form and then guided [it]."
ذَٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُۥٓ إِذَا دُعِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُۥ كَفَرْتُمْ ۖ وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِۦ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ فَٱلْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْعَلِىِّ ٱلْكَبِيرِ
[They will be told], "That is because, when Allāh was called upon alone, you disbelieved; but if others were associated with Him, you believed. So the judgement is with Allāh, the Most High, the Grand."
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزْوَٰجًا مِّن نَّبَاتٍ شَتَّىٰ
[It is He] who has made for you the earth as a bed [spread out] and inserted therein for you roadways and sent down from the sky, rain and produced thereby categories of various plants.
أَمْ لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُم مِّن دُونِنَا ۚ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُم مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ
Or do they have gods to defend them other than Us? They are unable [even] to help themselves, nor can they be protected from Us.