ءَأَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً إِن يُرِدْنِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ بِضُرٍّ لَّا تُغْنِ عَنِّى شَفَـٰعَتُهُمْ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يُنقِذُونِ 23
Translations
Should I take other than Him [false] deities [while], if the Most Merciful intends for me some adversity, their intercession will not avail me at all, nor can they save me?
Transliteration
A-attakhidhu min doonihee aalihatan in yurdin ar-Rahmanu bidurrin la tughni anee shafa'atuhum shay'an wa la yunqidhoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a logical argument against associating partners with Allah (shirk) by asking: should one take other deities besides Allah when, if the Most Merciful intends harm upon them, those false gods cannot intercede on their behalf nor save them? Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that this rhetorical question emphasizes the absolute powerlessness of idols—they possess neither authority to intercede nor ability to provide protection. The ayah reinforces strict monotheism by demonstrating the futility of relying on anyone or anything other than Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the broader context of Surah Ya-Sin, which addresses the Meccan polytheists' stubborn rejection of monotheism and the Prophet Muhammad's message. The surah employs logical arguments and parables to convince disbelievers of tawhid (Allah's oneness) and the reality of the Hereafter, with this particular verse being part of a series of rhetorical questions that expose the irrationality of shirk.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever dies while associating anything with Allah will enter the Fire' (Sahih Bukhari 4497). Additionally, 'The intercession of the intercessors will not benefit them unless Allah permits it' (Quran 34:23, thematically related and supported by various hadith collections regarding the conditions of intercession).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that true security and protection come only from Allah; placing trust in created beings or material objects instead of Allah is both logically flawed and spiritually dangerous. Modern readers should reflect on how this principle applies beyond physical idols to metaphorical 'gods'—such as wealth, status, or influential people—that people wrongly depend upon for salvation or security.
Related Ayahs
وَأَنْ أَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
And [commanded], 'Direct your face [i.e., self] toward the religion, inclining to truth, and never be of those who associate others with Allāh;
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلَّتِى تَجْرِى فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَـٰحِ وَٱلسَّحَابِ ٱلْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allāh has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and earth are signs for a people who use reason.
يَوْمَ هُم بَـٰرِزُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌ ۚ لِّمَنِ ٱلْمُلْكُ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ ٱلْوَٰحِدِ ٱلْقَهَّارِ
The Day they come forth nothing concerning them will be concealed from Allāh. To whom belongs [all] sovereignty this Day? To Allāh, the One, the Prevailing.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -