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Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder)

Verse 16of 43

قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَٱتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمْ نَفْعًۭا وَلَا ضَرًّۭا ۚ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ وَٱلْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتُ وَٱلنُّورُ ۗ أَمْ جَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُوا۟ كَخَلْقِهِۦ فَتَشَٰبَهَ ٱلْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ خَٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَهُوَ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّٰرُ﴿١٦

Translation (Sahih International)

Say, "Who is Lord of the heavens and earth?" Say, "Allah." Say, "Have you then taken besides Him allies not possessing [even] for themselves any benefit or any harm?" Say, "Is the blind equivalent to the seeing? Or is darkness equivalent to light? Or have they attributed to Allah partners who created like His creation so that the creation [of each] seemed similar to them?" Say, "Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Prevailing."

Word-by-word meaning

قُلْqulSay
مَنmanWho
رَّبُّrabbu(is) the Lord
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِl-samāwāti(of) the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضِwal-arḍiand the earth
قُلِquliSay
ٱللَّهُ ۚl-lahuAllah
قُلْqulSay
أَفَٱتَّخَذْتُمafa-ittakhadhtumHave you then taken
مِّنminfrom
دُونِهِۦٓdūnihibesides Him
أَوْلِيَآءَawliyāaprotectors
لَاnot
يَمْلِكُونَyamlikūnathey have power
لِأَنفُسِهِمْli-anfusihimfor themselves
نَفْعًۭاnafʿan(to) benefit
وَلَاwalāand not
ضَرًّۭا ۚḍarran(to) harm
قُلْqulSay
هَلْhalIs
يَسْتَوِىyastawīequal
ٱلْأَعْمَىٰl-aʿmāthe blind
وَٱلْبَصِيرُwal-baṣīruand the seeing
أَمْamOr
هَلْhalis
تَسْتَوِىtastawīequal
ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتُl-ẓulumātuthe darkness[es]
وَٱلنُّورُ ۗwal-nūruand the light
أَمْamOr
جَعَلُوا۟jaʿalūthey attribute
لِلَّهِlillahito Allah
شُرَكَآءَshurakāapartners
خَلَقُوا۟khalaqūwho created
كَخَلْقِهِۦkakhalqihilike His creation
فَتَشَـٰبَهَfatashābahaso that seemed alike
ٱلْخَلْقُl-khalquthe creation
عَلَيْهِمْ ۚʿalayhimto them
قُلِquliSay
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
خَـٰلِقُkhāliqu(is) the Creator
كُلِّkulliof all
شَىْءٍۢshayinthings
وَهُوَwahuwaand He
ٱلْوَٰحِدُl-wāḥidu(is) the One
ٱلْقَهَّـٰرُl-qahāruthe Irresistible

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Affirming TawhidAllah affirms here that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, since they admit that He alone created the heavens and the earth and that He is their Lord and the Disposer of all affairs. Yet, they take as lords others besides Allah and worship them, even though these false gods do not have the power to benefit or harm themselves, or those who worship them. Therefore, the polytheists will not benefit or have harm removed from them by these false deities.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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