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
بَلِ ٱللَّهَ فَٱعْبُدْ وَكُن مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ
Rather, worship [only] Allāh and be among the grateful.
لَهُم مَّا يَشَآءُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
They will have whatever they desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the doers of good -
وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُۥ مَعَهُۥ لَٱفْتَدَوْا۟ بِهِۦ مِن سُوٓءِ ٱلْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۚ وَبَدَا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُوا۟ يَحْتَسِبُونَ
And if those who did wrong had all that is in the earth entirely and the like of it with it, they would [attempt to] ransom themselves thereby from the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. And there will appear to them from Allāh that which they had not taken into account.
أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُۥ ۖ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍ
Is not Allāh sufficient for His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)]? And [yet], they threaten you with those [they worship] other than Him. And whoever Allāh leaves astray - for him there is no guide.