هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ قَوْمُنَا ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً ۖ لَّوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِسُلْطَـٰنٍۭ بَيِّنٍ ۖ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا 15
Translations
These, our people, have taken besides Him deities. Why do they not bring for [worship of] them a clear evidence? And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh a lie?"
Transliteration
Haa'ulaa'i qawmunā ittakhadhū min dūnihi āliha. Law lā ya'tūn 'alayhim bi-sulṭānin bayyinā. Fa-man aẓlamu mimman iftarā 'alallāhi kadhiban.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The young men of the Cave lament that their people have adopted false gods besides Allah without any clear evidence or proof to support their idolatry. The ayah emphasizes the logical absurdity and grave sin of polytheism—that fabricating lies about Allah by attributing partners to Him is the greatest injustice (zulm). Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi note that this statement by the companions of the Cave demonstrates their intellectual clarity and moral courage in recognizing the falsehood of their society's religion.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Ashab al-Kahf (the Companions of the Cave), a Meccan surah revealed during a period when the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) faced intense opposition from the Meccan polytheists. The story illustrates how young believers stood firm against societal pressure and false religion, serving as comfort to the early Muslims facing similar persecution for their monotheism.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah' (Sahih Bukhari). Also relevant is the hadith: 'Whoever dies while associating partners with Allah will enter the Fire' (Sahih Muslim), highlighting the severity of shirk mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to demand clear, rational proof for religious claims and to recognize that adopting false beliefs without evidence is not merely error but represents profound injustice. It inspires courage to reject falsehood even when surrounded by a society that embraces it, reminding us that monotheistic conviction should be rooted in clear understanding, not blind imitation.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ أَرَءَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَآ إِلَى ٱلصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّى نَسِيتُ ٱلْحُوتَ وَمَآ أَنسَىٰنِيهُ إِلَّا ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُۥ ۚ وَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُۥ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا
He said, "Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan - that I should mention it. And it took its course into the sea amazingly."
قَالَ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ صَابِرًا وَلَآ أَعْصِى لَكَ أَمْرًا
[Moses] said, "You will find me, if Allāh wills, patient, and I will not disobey you in [any] order."
وَمَا نُرْسِلُ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ ۚ وَيُجَـٰدِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا۟ بِهِ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِى وَمَآ أُنذِرُوا۟ هُزُوًا
And We send not the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. And those who disbelieve dispute by [using] falsehood to [attempt to] invalidate thereby the truth and have taken My verses, and that of which they are warned, in ridicule.
فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ ٱسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْا۟ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا
So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] restored it. [Moses] said, "If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment."