إِن تَدْعُوهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُوا۟ دُعَآءَكُمْ وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا۟ مَا ٱسْتَجَابُوا۟ لَكُمْ ۖ وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْ ۚ وَلَا يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍ 14
Translations
If you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association. And none can inform you like [one] Aware [of all matters].
Transliteration
In tadAAoohum la yasmaAAoo duAAaakum wa law samiAAoo ma istajaboo lakum wa yawma alqiyamati yakfuroona bishirkikum wa la yunabbio-oka mithlu khabir
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refutes the polytheists' practice of invoking idols and false deities, clarifying that these objects cannot hear their calls, and even if they could, they would not respond. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that on the Day of Judgment, these false deities will disown the association made with them, rendering all worship directed to them futile. The closing phrase 'And none can inform you like the One who is All-Aware' (Allah) underscores that only Allah possesses complete knowledge and is worthy of worship.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Mecca during the early period of Islamic preaching, this ayah addresses the prevalent Meccan practice of idol worship and intercession through false gods. It is part of Surah Fatir's broader theme of tawhid (monotheism) and refutation of shirk (polytheism), specifically targeting the spiritual bankruptcy of idolatry by demonstrating the helplessness of these invented deities.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari narrates that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The supplication made by anyone of you will be granted if he does not get impatient and says: I have prayed but my prayer has not been granted.' This illustrates the contrast between calling upon the Living God versus lifeless idols. Additionally, the hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah about the futility of seeking help from the dead is thematically related.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that devotion to anything other than Allah is spiritually empty and will ultimately lead to disappointment in this life and disavowal in the afterlife. Believers should place their trust and supplication exclusively with Allah, the All-Knowing, whose response is guaranteed for those who call upon Him with sincerity.
Related Ayahs
مَّا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنْ عِلْمٍ وَلَا لِـَٔابَآئِهِمْ ۚ كَبُرَتْ كَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ ۚ إِن يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا كَذِبًا
They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers. Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths; they speak not except a lie.
سُبْحَـٰنَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ ٱلْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
Exalted is your Lord, the Lord of might, above what they describe.
مَا ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِن وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُۥ مِنْ إِلَـٰهٍ ۚ إِذًا لَّذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَـٰهٍۭ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
Allāh has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have [sought to] overcome others. Exalted is Allāh above what they describe [concerning Him].
أَلَآ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَمَا يَتَّبِعُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
Unquestionably, to Allāh belongs whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth. And those who invoke other than Allāh do not [actually] follow [His] "partners." They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging.