أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِى مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى مَنْ هُوَ كَـٰذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ 3
Translations
Unquestionably, for Allāh is the pure religion. And those who take protectors besides Him [say], "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allāh in position." Indeed, Allāh will judge between them concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allāh does not guide he who is a liar and [confirmed] disbeliever.
Transliteration
Alā lilāhi ad-dīnu al-khāliṣ. Wa-alladhīna ittakhdhū min dūnihi awliyāʾa mā naʿbuduhum illā liyuqarribūnā ilā-llāhi zulfā. Inna-llāha yaḥkumu baynahum fī mā hum fīhi yakhtalifūn. Inna-llāha lā yahdī man huwa kadhdhābun kaffār.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that true religion belongs exclusively to Allah alone, rejecting the polytheistic practice of the Quraysh who claimed to worship idols and intermediaries merely as means to draw closer to Allah. Ibn Kathir explains that Allah refutes this false justification, emphasizing that no intercession or intermediary worship is acceptable; only pure monotheistic devotion to Allah is valid. The ayah concludes that Allah will judge between the believers and disbelievers regarding their disagreements, and that He does not guide those who are liars and persistent deniers of truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Mecca during the early period of Islamic preaching when the pagan Arabs justified their idol worship as a means of seeking Allah's proximity and intercession. It directly addresses the theological misconception of the Meccan polytheists who believed that intercessors (whether idols, angels, or saints) could bring them closer to Allah, a fundamental theological error that Islam categorically rejects.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The most complete faith is that of those who have the best manners among you' (Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Bukhari records that the Prophet forbade intercession through idols and emphasized exclusive worship of Allah alone, directly supporting this ayah's message.
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims must understand that drawing closer to Allah requires sincere, exclusive devotion without intermediaries or false spiritual practices; no created being—whether saint, angel, or object—can legitimately serve as an intermediary between the servant and Allah. This ayah calls believers to examine their hearts and ensure their worship is purely for Allah's sake, free from cultural superstitions or inherited practices that contradict Islamic monotheism.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ أَفَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ تَأْمُرُوٓنِّىٓ أَعْبُدُ أَيُّهَا ٱلْجَـٰهِلُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Is it other than Allāh that you order me to worship, O ignorant ones?"
ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ ٱلْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُۥٓ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمْ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ
Who listen to speech and follow the best of it. Those are the ones Allāh has guided, and those are people of understanding.
ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَّجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُ مُتَشَـٰكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِّرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Allāh presents an example: a man [i.e., slave] owned by quarreling partners and another belonging exclusively to one man - are they equal in comparison? Praise be to Allāh! But most of them do not know.
أَفَمَن شَرَحَ ٱللَّهُ صَدْرَهُۥ لِلْإِسْلَـٰمِ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۚ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَـٰسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مِّن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ
So is one whose breast Allāh has expanded to [accept] Islām and he is upon [i.e., guided by] a light from his Lord [like one whose heart rejects it]? Then woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allāh. Those are in manifest error.