أَمْ عِندَهُمْ خَزَآئِنُ رَبِّكَ أَمْ هُمُ ٱلْمُصَۣيْطِرُونَ 37
Translations
Or have they the depositories [containing the provision] of your Lord? Or are they the controllers [of them]?
Transliteration
Am AAindahum khazainu rabbika am hum almusayttirun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah poses a rhetorical question challenging the polytheists' claims and assumptions: 'Do they possess the treasures of your Lord, or are they the ones in control?' The ayah refutes the notion that the disbelievers have any authority over divine provisions or destiny. As Al-Tabari explains, the verse emphasizes that only Allah possesses absolute control and dominion over all treasures and affairs, while the polytheists have no authority whatsoever. This is part of Surah At-Tur's broader argument for Allah's complete sovereignty and the certainty of the Day of Judgment.
Revelation Context
Surah At-Tur is a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of the Prophet's mission when polytheists were actively rejecting the message of monotheism and divine judgment. This particular ayah occurs in a section refuting the pagans' objections to the Quran and the concept of resurrection, emphasizing that their disbelief does not diminish Allah's absolute power and control over creation.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this verse, Surah At-Tur (52:21) relates to the hadith in Sahih Muslim about the intercession of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Allah's complete authority. Additionally, the theme connects to numerous hadiths on Qadr (divine decree) and Allah's exclusive sovereignty, such as those in Sahih Bukhari emphasizing that 'everything is with Allah's will.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that ultimate control and provision belong exclusively to Allah, not to any human or created being, which should instill trust in divine providence and humble submission to God's will. It challenges the modern tendency to place faith in material means, political systems, or human leadership as sources of true security and sustenance.
Related Ayahs
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Do you not know that to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills, and Allāh is over all things competent.
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.
قُلْ مَنۢ بِيَدِهِۦ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Say, "In whose hand is the realm of all things - and He protects while none can protect against Him - if you should know?"
وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
And to Allāh belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth. And ever is Allāh Exalted in Might and Wise.