۞ قُلْ إِنِّى نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَمَّا جَآءَنِىَ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ مِن رَّبِّى وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُسْلِمَ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ 66
Translations
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Indeed, I have been forbidden to worship those you call upon besides Allāh once the clear proofs have come to me from my Lord, and I have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds."
Transliteration
Qul inni nuhitu an a'buda alladhina tad'una min duni Allah lamma jaani al-bayyinat min rabbi wa umirtu an aslima li rabbi al-'alamin
Tafsir (Explanation)
In this ayah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is commanded to declare that he has been forbidden from worshipping the idols that the pagans call upon besides Allah, as clear signs and proofs (al-bayyinat) have come to him from his Lord. He further affirms that he has been commanded to submit wholly to Allah, the Lord of all worlds. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this verse emphasizes the Prophet's absolute obedience to divine revelation and his complete rejection of idolatry, serving as a powerful proclamation of monotheism (tawhid) to the Meccan disbelievers.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Ghafir, a Meccan surah revealed during a period of intense opposition to the Prophet's message. The context involves the Prophet's firm stance against idolatry while addressing the arguments of the disbelievers, establishing the categorical nature of his prophetic mission and the incompatibility of faith with polytheism.
Related Hadiths
The Hadith of Mu'adh ibn Jabal (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) wherein the Prophet asked him about the best deed, and when Mu'adh answered correctly with 'Tawhid and worshipping Allah alone,' the Prophet confirmed this as the greatest commandment. Additionally, the hadith regarding the final sermon at Hajj emphasizes complete submission to Allah alone.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true faith requires an absolute and uncompromising commitment to worshipping Allah alone, and that the receipt of clear divine guidance brings with it an obligation to abandon all false beliefs and submit completely to Allah's will. For modern believers, it serves as a reminder that clarity of faith should lead to unwavering conviction and the courage to stand against cultural or social pressures that contradict Islamic monotheism.