أَمْ خَلَقُوا۟ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۚ بَل لَّا يُوقِنُونَ 36
Translations
Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain.
Transliteration
Am khalaqū as-samāwāti wa-al-arda bal lā yūqinūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a rhetorical challenge to the polytheists of Mecca, asking whether they created the heavens and the earth—an absurd proposition meant to highlight their powerlessness and lack of divine authority. The phrase 'bal lā yūqinūn' (rather, they do not believe with certainty) concludes that their denial stems not from intellectual inability but from a lack of true conviction and certainty in Allah's oneness. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note this ayah refutes polytheistic claims to divinity by pointing to the obvious evidence of creation that only Allah possesses the power to create.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah At-Tur, a Meccan chapter that powerfully addresses the disbelievers' rejection of monotheism and the Hereafter. It forms part of a broader rhetorical sequence (verses 34-36) that challenges the pagan Arabs' irrational associations of partners with Allah despite their inability to create or control anything.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The most grievous sin is to associate partners with Allah' relates to the theme of rejecting polytheism. Additionally, the hadith about the servant's most beloved deed being 'to believe in Allah and His Messenger' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi) connects to the concept of yaqīn (certainty of faith).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that true faith requires intellectual conviction coupled with sincere certainty in Allah's absolute oneness and power; it also reminds us that denial of truth often stems not from lack of evidence but from hardness of heart and unwillingness to submit to divine guidance.