ذَٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُۥٓ إِذَا دُعِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُۥ كَفَرْتُمْ ۖ وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِۦ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ فَٱلْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْعَلِىِّ ٱلْكَبِيرِ 12
Translations
[They will be told], "That is because, when Allāh was called upon alone, you disbelieved; but if others were associated with Him, you believed. So the judgement is with Allāh, the Most High, the Grand."
Transliteration
Dhaalikum bi-annahoo idha du'iya Allahu wahdahu kafartum wa-in yushrak bihi tu'minoo. Fal-hukmu lillahi al-'Aliyyi al-Kabir.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the disbelievers' contradiction: when Allah alone is called upon, they reject faith, yet when partners are associated with Him, they believe. Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note this reveals the irrational stubbornness of the disbelievers—their rejection stems not from reason but from obstinacy and adherence to ancestral practices. The ayah concludes with an affirmation that true judgment belongs only to Allah, the Most High and Greatest, establishing His absolute sovereignty over all matters.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ghafir's broader Meccan context, which addresses the Quraysh's rejection of monotheism. The surah emphasizes the disbelievers' illogical behavior toward divine guidance and their insistence on polytheism despite clear evidence. This specific ayah encapsulates a central theme of Meccan revelation: exposing the contradiction and falsehood in the disbelievers' position.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (6/141) wherein the Prophet ﷺ said: 'The most complete of the believers in faith are those with the best character,' relates to the theme of sincere belief vs. false acceptance. Additionally, hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah about calling upon Allah alone reflects the ayah's emphasis on exclusive monotheistic invocation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to examine the consistency of their own faith and to recognize that true belief requires sincerity in worshipping Allah alone, not merely intellectual assent combined with polytheistic practices. It reminds us that Allah's judgment is supreme and that logical consistency in faith matters—we should never compartmentalize our belief or selectively apply monotheism to convenience.
Related Ayahs
إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مُّنكِرَةٌ وَهُم مُّسْتَكْبِرُونَ
Your god is one God. But those who do not believe in the Hereafter - their hearts are disapproving, and they are arrogant.
أَمَّن يُجِيبُ ٱلْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ أَءِلَـٰهٌ مَّعَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is there a deity with Allāh? Little do you remember.
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ ٱلْأُمُورُ
To Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And to Allāh will [all] matters be returned.
لَّوْ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا لَّٱصْطَفَىٰ مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ ۖ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ
If Allāh had intended to take a son, He could have chosen from what He creates whatever He willed. Exalted is He; He is Allāh, the One, the Prevailing.