وَيُنذِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَدًا 4
Translations
And to warn those who say, "Allāh has taken a son".
Transliteration
Wa yundhir alladhīna qālū ittakhadha Allāhu waladan
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that the Quran warns those who falsely claim that Allah has taken a son, a grave theological error that contradicts the absolute oneness and transcendence of Allah. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this warning addresses both the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and pre-Islamic Arab polytheists who attributed children to Allah, emphasizing that such claims are among the gravest forms of shirk (polytheism). The verse establishes that the primary purpose of the Quranic message includes refuting these false doctrines and clarifying Allah's perfect attributes.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Kahf is a Meccan surah revealed during a period when the Prophet Muhammad faced intense opposition from polytheists and those with corrupted theological beliefs. This particular ayah occurs within the opening verses that establish the Quran's purpose: to warn against major theological errors and affirm strict monotheism. The context reflects the broader Meccan emphasis on correcting fundamental beliefs about Allah's nature and oneness.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk)' - Sahih Bukhari. Additionally, 'Whoever says that Allah has a son has uttered one of the greatest enormities against Allah' - related in various hadith collections emphasizing the severity of this claim.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers of the paramount importance of maintaining pure monotheistic belief and understanding that Allah is beyond human categories like parenthood or familial relationships. For modern Muslims, it serves as a call to actively defend and articulate correct Islamic theology against contemporary misconceptions about Allah's nature.
Related Ayahs
وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا۟ فَقَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَـٰهًا ۖ لَّقَدْ قُلْنَآ إِذًا شَطَطًا
And We bound [i.e., made firm] their hearts when they stood up and said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never will we invoke besides Him any deity. We would have certainly spoken, then, an excessive transgression.
إِنَّهُمْ إِن يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِى مِلَّتِهِمْ وَلَن تُفْلِحُوٓا۟ إِذًا أَبَدًا
Indeed, if they come to know of you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And never would you succeed, then - ever."
وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَن ذِى ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ ۖ قُلْ سَأَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْهُ ذِكْرًا
And they ask you, [O Muḥammad], about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, "I will recite to you about him a report."
كِلْتَا ٱلْجَنَّتَيْنِ ءَاتَتْ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَظْلِم مِّنْهُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَـٰلَهُمَا نَهَرًا
Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and did not fall short thereof in anything. And We caused to gush forth within them a river.