وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْـًٔا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ 20
Translations
And those they invoke other than Allāh create nothing, and they [themselves] are created.
Transliteration
Wa-alladhīna yad'ūna min dūni-llāhi lā yakhluqūna shay'an wa-hum yukhlaqūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refutes the worship of idols and false deities by highlighting their complete powerlessness: those who are invoked besides Allah cannot create anything, yet they themselves are created beings. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this establishes the fundamental principle that only Allah possesses the attribute of creation (khalq), making the worship of lifeless idols or created entities logically and theologically absurd. The ayah emphasizes that true divinity requires the power to create, which belongs exclusively to Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Nahl (Chapter 16), a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Islam when the Quraysh were actively worshipping idols and associate partners with Allah. The broader context of this surah addresses tawhīd (monotheism) and refutes polytheism through rational arguments about Allah's creation and provision. This specific ayah is part of a series of verses (16:17-23) systematically demonstrating the futility of idol worship.
Related Hadiths
The principle reflected in this ayah connects to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk).' Additionally, the hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah emphasizes that 'Verily, Allah does not accept from an action anything unless it is done sincerely for His sake.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that worship should only be directed to Allah alone, as all other entities—whether idols, saints, or created beings—lack the fundamental divine attribute of creation and thus cannot deserve worship or intercession. For modern believers, it reinforces that sincere devotion must be reserved for the Creator alone, and seeking help from anyone or anything besides Allah contradicts both reason and revelation.
Related Ayahs
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.
وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ٱلْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ ۖ وَخَرَقُوا۟ لَهُۥ بَنِينَ وَبَنَـٰتٍۭ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
But they have attributed to Allāh partners - the jinn, while He has created them - and have fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Exalted is He and high above what they describe.
۞ وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ وَلَا تَنقُصُوا۟ ٱلْمِكْيَالَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ ۚ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُم بِخَيْرٍ وَإِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ مُّحِيطٍ
And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. And do not decrease from the measure and the scale. Indeed, I see you in prosperity, but indeed, I fear for you the punishment of an all-encompassing Day.
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.