وَلَا يَأْمُرَكُمْ أَن تَتَّخِذُوا۟ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ أَرْبَابًا ۗ أَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ أَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ 80
Translations
Nor could he order you to take the angels and prophets as lords. Would he order you to disbelief after you had been Muslims?
Transliteration
Wa lā ya'murukum an tattakhidhū al-malā'ikata wa-n-nabiyyīn arbāban. Aya'murukum bi-l-kufri ba'da idh antum muslimūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refutes the notion that any messenger or prophet would command believers to take angels and prophets as lords (gods) besides Allah, as this would constitute kufr (disbelief). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as a direct condemnation of idolatry and the elevation of creation to the status of Creator, emphasizing that true messengers only call people to the exclusive worship of Allah. The rhetorical question 'Would he command you with disbelief after you have become Muslims?' underscores the logical impossibility and contradiction of such a command.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Ali 'Imran's discussion of the People of the Book and their deviation from monotheism. It likely addresses historical instances where certain Christian communities and others had elevated prophets and angels to divine status, warning the Muslim community against similar practices. The broader context concerns affirming tawhīd (monotheism) and rejecting all forms of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim wherein the Prophet (ﷺ) warned against excessive praise: 'Do not praise me as the Christians praised the son of Mary. I am only a servant, so say: Allah's slave and His messenger.' This reinforces that prophets must not be taken as objects of worship.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must guard against the subtle elevation of anyone or anything to divine status, recognizing that all prophets and righteous servants are merely human intermediaries and slaves of Allah. This ayah teaches us to maintain pure monotheism and to be wary of venerating creation in ways that approach worship, a timeless principle applicable to contemporary forms of hero-worship and idolization.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱجْعَل لِّىٓ ءَايَةً ۖ قَالَ ءَايَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ ٱلنَّاسَ ثَلَـٰثَةَ أَيَّامٍ إِلَّا رَمْزًا ۗ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ كَثِيرًا وَسَبِّحْ بِٱلْعَشِىِّ وَٱلْإِبْكَـٰرِ
He said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He said, "Your sign is that you will not [be able to] speak to the people for three days except by gesture. And remember your Lord much and exalt [Him with praise] in the evening and the morning."
لَن يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلَّآ أَذًى ۖ وَإِن يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ ٱلْأَدْبَارَ ثُمَّ لَا يُنصَرُونَ
They will not harm you except for [some] annoyance. And if they fight you, they will show you their backs [i.e., retreat]; then they will not be aided.
بَلَىٰ مَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِۦ وَٱتَّقَىٰ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
But yes, whoever fulfills his commitment and fears Allāh - then indeed, Allāh loves those who fear Him.
وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَيُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
But as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards, and Allāh does not like the wrongdoers.