وَمَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنْ عِلْمٍ ۖ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ ۖ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِى مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ شَيْـًٔا 28
Translations
And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption, and indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all.
Transliteration
Wa mā lahum bihī min 'ilmin ۖ In yattabi'ūna illā aẓ-ẓanna ۖ Wa inna aẓ-ẓanna lā yughni mina al-ḥaqqi shay'ān
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns the polytheists' claims about their idols and false beliefs, emphasizing that they possess no knowledge whatsoever regarding their assertions—they merely follow conjecture and unfounded assumptions. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that mere speculation and opinion (ẓann) can never substitute for or diminish the truth (al-ḥaqq), highlighting the fundamental difference between knowledge-based belief and baseless supposition. The ayah serves as a powerful epistemological critique, establishing that certainty of faith must be rooted in divine revelation, not human whimsy.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Najm (Chapter 53), a Meccan surah that addresses the pagan Arabs' false claims about angels being daughters of Allah and their polytheistic practices. The broader context of the surah refutes their idolatrous beliefs and emphasizes Allah's oneness, making this ayah part of the Qur'an's systematic dismantling of pre-Islamic Arabian polytheism.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: 'The best speech is the Qur'an and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad,' (Sahih Muslim 867), underscoring the superiority of certain knowledge from revelation over mere conjecture. Additionally, the hadith in Sunan An-Nasa'i warns against relying on suspicion: 'Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the falsest of speech' (Iyyākum wa al-ẓann).
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims should anchor their faith and beliefs in revealed knowledge from the Qur'an and Sunnah rather than cultural traditions, personal assumptions, or societal pressures. In our modern age of misinformation and opinion-based discourse, this ayah reminds us that conjecture—no matter how widespread or popular—can never replace objective truth, and we must constantly verify our beliefs against authentic Islamic sources.
Related Ayahs
وَلَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَهُ ٱلدِّينُ وَاصِبًا ۚ أَفَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ تَتَّقُونَ
And to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and to Him is [due] worship constantly. Then is it other than Allāh that you fear?
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ ٱلْأُنثَىٰ
Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter name the angels female names,
قُل لِّلَّهِ ٱلشَّفَـٰعَةُ جَمِيعًا ۖ لَّهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
Say, "To Allāh belongs [the right to allow] intercession entirely. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Then to Him you will be returned."
أَوَمَن يُنَشَّؤُا۟ فِى ٱلْحِلْيَةِ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْخِصَامِ غَيْرُ مُبِينٍ
So is one brought up in ornaments while being during conflict unevident [attributed to Allāh]?