فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ 30
Translations
So direct your face [i.e., self] toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fiṭrah of Allāh upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allāh. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
Transliteration
Fa-aqim wajhaka lid-dini hanifan, fitrata Allahi allati fatara an-nasa alayha, la tabdila li-khalqi Allahi, dhalika ad-dinu al-qayyimu wa-lakin akthara an-nasi la ya'lamun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the Prophet and believers to direct themselves sincerely toward the religion of Allah, which aligns with the natural disposition (fitrah) upon which Allah has created humanity. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, every human is born with an innate inclination toward monotheism and divine truth, though society and environment may corrupt this natural state. The verse emphasizes that Islamic monotheism is the straight religion that corresponds to human nature, and there is no changing the creation of Allah—meaning human nature remains constant and responsive to divine truth, even though most people are unaware of or reject this reality.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Ar-Rum (The Romans), a Meccan chapter addressing theological foundations of faith. It comes in a section discussing signs of Allah's creation and the universal human inclination toward monotheism. The broader context addresses idolatry's deviation from natural religious inclination and reassures believers that the Islamic message aligns with fundamental human nature.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'Every child is born upon the fitrah (natural disposition), but his parents make him a Jew, Christian, or Magian' (Sahih Bukhari, 1319). Additionally, the Prophet stated: 'The religion most beloved to Allah is the natural/straight religion (Ad-Din Al-Hanif)' (Sunan Ibn Majah, 3984).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Islam is not an imposed external ideology but rather an alignment with human nature itself—when individuals recognize and follow the straight path of tawhid, they return to their original spiritual disposition. For modern believers, it offers reassurance that faith in Allah's oneness resonates with our deepest nature and that resistance to truth stems from societal corruption, not from genuine human incompatibility with divine guidance.