لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَىْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَـٰسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ 14
Translations
To Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they call upon besides Him do not respond to them with a thing, except as one who stretches his hands toward water [from afar, calling it] to reach his mouth, but it will not reach it [thus]. And the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in error [i.e., futility].
Transliteration
Lahu da'watul-haqq. Wal-ladhina yad'una min dunihee la yastajibuna lahum bi-shay'in illā ka-bāsiṭi kaffayhi ilal-māi li-yablugha fāhu wa-mā huwa bi-bālighih. Wa-mā du'āul-kāfirīna illā fī ḍalāl.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah contrasts the true invocation (du'a) directed to Allah alone with the futile supplications made to false deities and idols. The likeness of those calling upon false gods is compared to someone stretching his hands toward water, hoping it will reach his mouth—an impossible and futile gesture. Classical tafsir scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain that the comparison illustrates the utter helplessness of idols to respond to or benefit their worshippers, emphasizing that only Allah possesses the true right to be called upon and supplicated to.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ar-Ra'd, a Medinan chapter addressing polytheistic practices and false beliefs. The broader context of the surah refutes shirk (polytheism) and establishes the absolute oneness of Allah and His sovereign power. This particular verse responds to the pagan Arab practice of invoking idols and departed saints alongside or instead of Allah, demonstrating the spiritual bankruptcy of such practices.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The supplication is the worship itself' (Hadith narrated by Tirmidhi and others), emphasizing that du'a to Allah alone is an act of worship. Additionally, the hadith 'When you ask, ask of Allah; when you seek help, seek it from Allah' (Tirmidhi) reinforces the principle that all invocations should be directed exclusively to Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
True spiritual fulfillment comes only through sincere supplication to Allah alone; reliance on false hopes, material means disconnected from divine guidance, or turning away from monotheism is as fruitless as trying to drink water by merely gesturing toward it. Muslims today are reminded to place their complete trust and du'a exclusively with Allah, rejecting all forms of spiritual intermediaries that contradict Islamic monotheism.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًا
Your god is only Allāh, except for whom there is no deity. He has encompassed all things in knowledge."
إِنِّى تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رَبِّى وَرَبِّكُم ۚ مَّا مِن دَآبَّةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ ءَاخِذٌۢ بِنَاصِيَتِهَآ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
Indeed, I have relied upon Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature but that He holds it by its forelock [i.e., controls it]. Indeed, my Lord is on a path [that is] straight.
رَبِّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَآ ۖ إِن كُنتُم مُّوقِنِينَ
Lord of the heavens and the earth and that between them, if you would be certain.
أَمْ كُنتُمْ شُهَدَآءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ ٱلْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنۢ بَعْدِى قَالُوا۟ نَعْبُدُ إِلَـٰهَكَ وَإِلَـٰهَ ءَابَآئِكَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ إِلَـٰهًا وَٰحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُۥ مُسْلِمُونَ
Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."