أَمْوَٰتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَآءٍ ۖ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ 21
Translations
They are [in fact] dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.
Transliteration
Amwatun ghayru ahya'in wa ma yash'uruna ayyana yub'athun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the idols worshipped by the polytheists, describing them as dead (lacking life and consciousness) rather than alive, and emphasizing that these false gods have no awareness of when the Day of Resurrection will occur. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that this is a decisive refutation of idol worship—these objects cannot perceive, respond, or possess any divine attributes, making their worship fundamentally absurd and spiritually destructive.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah An-Nahl's broader theme of refuting polytheism and proving Allah's oneness. The passage preceding this ayah (16:20) discusses how those who associate partners with Allah invoke lifeless objects, and this ayah deepens the critique by emphasizing the utter powerlessness and unconsciousness of idols, highlighting the irrationality of seeking help from what cannot even comprehend existence.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to Hadith Qudsi where Allah emphasizes His uniqueness and condemns the worship of false deities. Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Bukhari (3.34.425) where the Prophet (ﷺ) explained that idols cannot benefit or harm anyone, reinforcing the Quranic message of their complete inefficacy.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must recognize that seeking intercession or aid from anything other than Allah is irrational and futile, as only Allah possesses life, knowledge, and power. This ayah invites critical reflection on our spiritual devotions: are we directing our worship and trust toward the living, all-knowing God, or toward spiritually 'dead' substitutes that cannot respond to our needs?
Related Ayahs
أَمْ عِندَهُمْ خَزَآئِنُ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّكَ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْوَهَّابِ
Or do they have the depositories of the mercy of your Lord, the Exalted in Might, the Bestower?
وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ رَبُّ ٱلشِّعْرَىٰ
And that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ هُوَ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
That is because Allāh is the True Reality, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allāh is the Most High, the Grand.
مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَسْمَآءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَـٰنٍ ۚ إِنِ ٱلْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۚ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allāh has sent down no evidence. Legislation is not but for Allāh. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.