ذَٰلِكَ مِمَّآ أَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ ۗ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلْقَىٰ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًا مَّدْحُورًا 39
Translations
That is from what your Lord has revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], of wisdom. And, [O mankind], do not make [as equal] with Allāh another deity, lest you be thrown into Hell, blamed and banished.
Transliteration
Dhālika mimmmā awhā ilayka rabbuka mina al-hikmah. Wa lā taj'al ma'a Allāhi ilāhan ākhara fatalqā fī jahannam malūman madhḥūrā.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah concludes a series of divine commandments and moral teachings, affirming that all these instructions are part of the wisdom Allah has revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The ayah then emphatically warns against associating partners with Allah (shirk), declaring that whoever does so will be cast into Hell, blamed and rejected. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize this as a solemn warning that polytheism is the gravest sin and leads to eternal punishment, while the preceding commands represent the straight path to salvation.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Isra, a Meccan surah that addresses fundamental Islamic principles. It comes at the conclusion of a passage (17:23-39) containing essential moral and spiritual directives, serving as a stark warning that complements the positive guidance given in the preceding verses. The context emphasizes the totality of divine wisdom and the absolute prohibition against shirk.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk)' - related in Sahih Bukhari. Additionally, 'Whoever dies while associating partners with Allah will enter the Fire' - a theme emphasized in multiple hadith collections regarding the severity of shirk.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that true obedience to Allah's commandments is inseparable from unwavering monotheism; external acts of worship mean nothing without pure belief in Allah's oneness. For modern readers, it serves as a powerful reminder that spiritual success depends fundamentally on maintaining the correct relationship with the Divine, free from any compromise in faith or practice.
Related Ayahs
فَذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۖ فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ ٱلْحَقِّ إِلَّا ٱلضَّلَـٰلُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصْرَفُونَ
For that is Allāh, your Lord, the Truth. And what can be beyond truth except error? So how are you averted?
أَلَمْ تَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُۥ ظَـٰهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً ۗ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُجَـٰدِلُ فِى ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلَا هُدًى وَلَا كِتَـٰبٍ مُّنِيرٍ
Do you not see that Allāh has made subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and amply bestowed upon you His favors, [both] apparent and unapparent? But of the people is he who disputes about Allāh without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening Book [from Him].
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
Indeed, Allāh knows whatever thing they call upon other than Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
رَّبُّ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَٱتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلًا
[He is] the Lord of the East and the West; there is no deity except Him, so take Him as Disposer of [your] affairs.