ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ۩ 26
Translations
Allāh - there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Great Throne."
Transliteration
Allahu la ilaha illa huwa Rabbu al-'arshi al-'azim
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is a powerful declaration of Allah's absolute oneness (Tawhid) and His supreme sovereignty as the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this statement affirms both Allah's exclusive right to worship and His complete dominion over all creation, serving as a response to the ant's acknowledgment of Allah's greatness in the preceding context of the surah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the narrative of Surah An-Naml during the account of Prophet Solomon's story. The context is immediately after an ant's warning to its people, which prompts reflection on divine signs in creation. The surah itself is Meccan and addresses the fundamentals of Islamic belief, particularly God's oneness and power over all creation.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk)' (Sahih Bukhari). Additionally, 'Whoever dies while calling upon another deity alongside Allah will enter the Fire' (Sahih Muslim), emphasizing the centrality of this declaration of pure monotheism.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that Allah alone deserves worship and that recognizing His supreme authority over creation should inspire both awe and complete devotion. For modern readers, it serves as an anchor against spiritual confusion and a call to purify one's faith from any form of shirk (associating partners with Allah) in belief and practice.
Related Ayahs
قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِن شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْهُم مِّن ظَهِيرٍ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Invoke those you claim [as deities] besides Allāh." They do not possess an atom's weight [of ability] in the heavens or on the earth, and they do not have therein any partnership [with Him], nor is there for Him from among them any assistant.
إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مُّنكِرَةٌ وَهُم مُّسْتَكْبِرُونَ
Your god is one God. But those who do not believe in the Hereafter - their hearts are disapproving, and they are arrogant.
أَئِفْكًا ءَالِهَةً دُونَ ٱللَّهِ تُرِيدُونَ
Is it falsehood [as] gods other than Allāh you desire?
أَمَّن يَبْدَؤُا۟ ٱلْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥ وَمَن يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ أَءِلَـٰهٌ مَّعَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قُلْ هَاتُوا۟ بُرْهَـٰنَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
Is He [not best] who begins creation and then repeats it and who provides for you from the heaven and earth? Is there a deity with Allāh? Say, "Produce your proof, if you should be truthful."