Surah Al-Mu'minun, Ayah 117 (23:117)

ٱلْمُؤْمِنُون

وَمَن يَدْعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا ءَاخَرَ لَا بُرْهَٰنَ لَهُۥ بِهِۦ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦٓ ۚ …

Quran 23:117 is ayah 117 of Surah Al-Mu'minun (“The Believers”), a Meccan surah of 118 ayahs. It is in Juz 18, on page 349 of the Madani Mushaf.

23:117
وَمَنيَدْعُمَعَٱللَّهِإِلَٰهًاءَاخَرَلَابُرْهَٰنَلَهُۥبِهِۦفَإِنَّمَاحِسَابُهُۥعِندَرَبِّهِۦٓ ۚإِنَّهُۥلَايُفْلِحُٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ١١٧
waman yadʿu maʿa l-lahi ilāhan ākhara lā bur'hāna lahu bihi fa-innamā ḥisābuhu ʿinda rabbihi innahu lā yuf'liḥu l-kāfirūna

And whoever invokes besides Allāh another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.(117)

Word by word

  1. وَمَنwamanAnd whoever
  2. يَدْعُyadʿuinvokes
  3. مَعَmaʿawith
  4. ٱللَّهِl-lahiAllah
  5. إِلَٰهًاilāhangod
  6. ءَاخَرَākharaother
  7. لَاlāno
  8. بُرْهَٰنَbur'hānaproof
  9. لَهُۥlahufor him
  10. بِهِۦbihiin it
  11. فَإِنَّمَاfa-innamāThen only
  12. حِسَابُهُۥḥisābuhuhis account
  13. عِندَʿinda(is) with
  14. رَبِّهِۦٓ ۚrabbihihis Lord
  15. إِنَّهُۥinnahuIndeed, [he]
  16. لَاlānot
  17. يُفْلِحُyuf'liḥuwill succeed
  18. ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَl-kāfirūnathe disbelievers

Tafsir (commentary) of 23:117

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

This commentary explains ayahs 23:117–118 together.

Shirk is the Worst form of Wrong, its Practitioner shall never succeed. Allah threatens those who associate anything else withHim and worship anything with Him. He informs that those whoassociate others with Allah:

لاَ بُرْهَانَ لَهُ

(of whom he has no proof), meaning no evidence for what he says. Then Allah says:

وَمَن يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهَا ءَاخَرَ لاَ بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ

(And whoever invokes, besides Allah, any other god, of whom he has no proof;) this is a conditional sentence, whose fulfilling clause is:

فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ

(then his reckoning is only with his Lord.) meaning, Allah will call him to account for that. Then Allah tells us:

إِنَّهُ لاَ يُفْلِحُ الْكَـفِرُونَ

(Surely, disbelievers will not be successful.) meaning, they will not be successful with Him on the Day of Resurrection; they will not prosper or be saved.

وَقُل رَّبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأنتَ خَيْرُ الرَحِمِينَ

(And say: "My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the best of those who show mercy!") Here Allah is teaching us to recite this supplication, for forgiveness, in a general sense, means wiping away sins and concealing them from people, and mercy means guiding a person and helping him to say and do good things.

Read the full Surah Al-Mu'minun