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Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

Verse 12of 78

يَدْعُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُۥ وَمَا لَا يَنفَعُهُۥ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلضَّلَٰلُ ٱلْبَعِيدُ﴿١٢

Translation (Sahih International)

He invokes instead of Allah that which neither harms him nor benefits him. That is what is the extreme error.

Word-by-word meaning

يَدْعُوا۟yadʿūHe calls
مِنminbesides
دُونِdūnibesides
ٱللَّهِl-lahiAllah
مَاwhat
لَاnot
يَضُرُّهُۥyaḍurruhuharms him
وَمَاwamāand what
لَاnot
يَنفَعُهُۥ ۚyanfaʿuhubenefits him
ذَٰلِكَdhālikaThat
هُوَhuwa[it]
ٱلضَّلَـٰلُl-ḍalālu(is) the straying
ٱلْبَعِيدُl-baʿīdufar away

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The meaning of worshipping Allah as it were upon the edgeMujahid, Qatadah and others said:عَلَى حَرْفٍ(upon the edge) means, in doubt. Others said that it meant on the edge, such as on the edge or side of a mountain, i.e., (this person) enters Islam on the edge, and if he finds what he likes he will continue, otherwise he will leave. Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said:وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ(And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were upon the edge.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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