وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يَقُولُ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ أَهَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِيَّاكُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْبُدُونَ 40
Translations
And [mention] the Day when He will gather them all and then say to the angels, "Did these [people] used to worship you?"
Transliteration
Wa-yawma yahshuruhum jamee'an thumma yaqoolu lil-malaa'ikati ahaa'ulaa'i iyyakum kanoo ya'budoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
On the Day of Judgment, Allah will gather all the people together and then ask the angels whether it was they whom the disbelievers used to worship. This is a rhetorical question posed to expose the falsehood of polytheism and the foolishness of those who ascribed partners to Allah. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this ayah emphasizes how the polytheists will be confronted with the reality that they were deluded—the angels never demanded nor accepted worship, and Allah alone is the true object of worship.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Saba (a Meccan surah) within the broader context of addressing polytheism and idolatry practiced in Mecca. The surah discusses various themes of divine oneness, prophethood, and the Day of Judgment. This specific ayah fits within the theme of confronting the disbelievers with their false beliefs on the Day of Resurrection, highlighting the ultimate absurdity of worshipping created beings alongside the Creator.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in Sahih Bukhari (Hadith 4712) where the Prophet (ﷺ) describes the Day of Judgment and how people will come to the prophets asking for intercession. Additionally, Surah Al-Furqan (25:17) presents a similar rhetorical question about worship being directed to false deities, which relates thematically to this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that worshipping anything or anyone besides Allah is fundamentally irrational and will be exposed as foolishness on the Day of Judgment. For modern believers, it reinforces the importance of maintaining pure monotheism and recognizing that only Allah deserves our worship, devotion, and obedience.