سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ ۚ قُلْ فَأَنَّىٰ تُسْحَرُونَ 89
Translations
They will say, "[All belongs] to Allāh." Say, "Then how are you deluded?"
Transliteration
Sayaqooloon lillaah. Qul fa-anna tusharoon.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents the response to the previous question about who created the heavens and earth—the disbelievers will inevitably admit that Allah alone is the Creator. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is then commanded to challenge them with a striking rhetorical question: 'Then how are you being bewitched (or deceived)?' meaning how can they acknowledge Allah's dominion over creation yet turn away from worshipping Him alone? Ibn Kathir notes this demonstrates the internal contradiction in the disbelievers' logic—they recognize divine truth but persist in polytheism and rebellion through satanic deception.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the context of Surah Al-Mu'minun's opening discussion of the characteristics of true believers and the refutation of polytheism. The broader passage (23:84-89) uses a series of rhetorical questions to expose the logical inconsistency of those who acknowledge Allah as the sole Creator while simultaneously associating partners with Him in worship. This reflects the Meccan period's focus on establishing Tawhid (monotheism).
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this ayah, the theme relates to Sahih Muslim's hadith where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Every child is born upon the natural disposition (fitrah), but his parents make him Jewish, Christian, or Zoroastrian'—illustrating how people are led astray from natural recognition of Allah's oneness.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to recognize the contradiction between acknowledging truth intellectually while rejecting it practically—a spiritual lesson that encourages sincere introspection about whether our beliefs align with our actions, and how societal pressures and desires can blind us to clear truth.
Related Ayahs
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
So direct your face [i.e., self] toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fiṭrah of Allāh upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allāh. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـٰلِقٌۢ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلْصَـٰلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud.
قُلْ إِن كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلْعَـٰبِدِينَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "If the Most Merciful had a son, then I would be the first of [his] worshippers."
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.