لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ 58
Translations
Of it, [from those] besides Allāh, there is no remover.
Transliteration
Laysa laha min doonil-lahi kashifah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphasizes that no one has the power to avert or reveal Allah's divine decree except Allah Himself. The word 'kashifah' (one who uncovers/removes) refers to the calamities and trials that Allah sends, indicating that neither angels nor any created being can intercede to change Allah's will without His permission. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize this as a declaration of Allah's absolute sovereignty and the futility of seeking help from anyone other than Him.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Najm, a Meccan surah that addresses the polytheists' false beliefs and idolatry. The broader context of the surah establishes Allah's oneness and condemns the worship of idols and false deities. This particular ayah reinforces the theme that only Allah possesses divine attributes and power, refuting the Meccan belief that their idols could intercede or avert harm.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Know that if the entire nation were to gather to benefit you with something, they could not benefit you except with what Allah has decreed for you, and if they were to gather to harm you with something, they could not harm you except with what Allah has decreed for you.' This reinforces the exclusive power of Allah over all affairs.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to place complete trust in Allah alone and to abandon the false belief that created beings possess independent power to help or harm. It encourages absolute reliance on Allah's wisdom and decree, understanding that true security comes only through sincere submission to His will.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَرِثُ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا وَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ
Indeed, it is We who will inherit the earth and whoever is on it, and to Us they will be returned.
ءَأَنتُمْ أَنزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُزْنِ أَمْ نَحْنُ ٱلْمُنزِلُونَ
Is it you who brought it down from the clouds, or is it We who bring it down?
فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَقُلْ حَسْبِىَ ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
But if they turn away, [O Muḥammad], say, "Sufficient for me is Allāh; there is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne."
يَوْمَ يَأْتِ لَا تَكَلَّمُ نَفْسٌ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ فَمِنْهُمْ شَقِىٌّ وَسَعِيدٌ
The Day it comes no soul will speak except by His permission. And among them will be the wretched and the prosperous.