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
وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۖ لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۚ بَل لَّهُم مَّوْعِدٌ لَّن يَجِدُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦ مَوْئِلًا
And your Lord is the Forgiving, the possessor of mercy. If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened for them the punishment. Rather, for them is an appointment from which they will never find an escape.
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِى هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِلنَّاسِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَكْثَرَ شَىْءٍ جَدَلًا
And We have certainly diversified in this Qur’ān for the people from every [kind of] example; but man has ever been, most of anything, [prone to] dispute.
وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا
And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.
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."