أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ شُفَعَآءَ ۚ قُلْ أَوَلَوْ كَانُوا۟ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ 43
Translations
Or have they taken other than Allāh as intercessors? Say, "Even though they do not possess [power over] anything, nor do they reason?"
Transliteration
Am ittakhazu min duni-Allah shufaʿāʾ, qul aw law kānū lā yamlikūna shayʾan wa lā yaʿqilūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refutes the polytheistic practice of taking intercessors besides Allah, asking rhetorically whether these supposed mediators possess any power or understanding. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this directly challenges the Meccan idolaters' belief that their idols could intercede with Allah on their behalf. The ayah establishes that intercessors must themselves possess knowledge and authority, which only Allah possesses absolutely.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Az-Zumar during the early Islamic period when the Quraysh were actively practicing idol worship and intercession through their gods. The broader context of this surah addresses the monotheistic creed and refutes various forms of shirk (polytheism), with this particular verse confronting the specific misconception that intermediaries hold independent power or influence with Allah.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The intercession is for me, and I have kept it for my ummah for the Day of Judgment' (Tirmidhi). This hadith clarifies that while the Prophet's intercession on the Day of Judgment is real, it is contingent upon Allah's permission and not an independent power—aligning with the ayah's point that only Allah truly holds authority.
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims should recognize that their relationship with Allah is direct and personal, and that no intermediary—whether idol, saint, or other being—can independently grant benefit or intercede without Allah's permission. This teaches reliance upon Allah alone and the weakness of any supposed mediator who lacks knowledge, power, or understanding.
Related Ayahs
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.
وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ رَبَّهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ فَٱدْخُلُوهَا خَـٰلِدِينَ
But those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups until, when they reach it while its gates have been opened and its keepers say, "Peace be upon you; you have become pure; so enter it to abide eternally therein," [they will enter].
فَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ ضُرٌّ دَعَانَا ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلْنَـٰهُ نِعْمَةً مِّنَّا قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُۥ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍۭ ۚ بَلْ هِىَ فِتْنَةٌ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And when adversity touches man, he calls upon Us; then when We bestow on him a favor from Us, he says, "I have only been given it because of [my] knowledge." Rather, it is a trial, but most of them do not know.
وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّكُمْ وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups until, when they reach it, its gates are opened and its keepers will say, "Did there not come to you messengers from yourselves, reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say, "Yes, but the word [i.e., decree] of punishment has come into effect upon the disbelievers."