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Surah Ar-Ra'd, Ayah 16 (13:16)

ٱلرَّعْد

قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَٱتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ …

Quran 13:16 is ayah 16 of Surah Ar-Ra'd (“The Thunder”), a Medinan surah of 43 ayahs. It is in Juz 13, on page 251 of the Madani Mushaf.

13:16
قُلْمَنرَّبُّٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِوَٱلْأَرْضِقُلِٱللَّهُ ۚقُلْأَفَٱتَّخَذْتُممِّندُونِهِۦٓأَوْلِيَآءَلَايَمْلِكُونَلِأَنفُسِهِمْنَفْعًاوَلَاضَرًّا ۚقُلْهَلْيَسْتَوِىٱلْأَعْمَىٰوَٱلْبَصِيرُأَمْهَلْتَسْتَوِىٱلظُّلُمَٰتُوَٱلنُّورُ ۗأَمْجَعَلُوا۟لِلَّهِشُرَكَآءَخَلَقُوا۟كَخَلْقِهِۦفَتَشَٰبَهَٱلْخَلْقُعَلَيْهِمْ ۚقُلِٱللَّهُخَٰلِقُكُلِّشَىْءٍوَهُوَٱلْوَٰحِدُٱلْقَهَّٰرُ١٦
qul man rabbu l-samāwāti wal-arḍi quli l-lahu qul afa-ittakhadhtum min dūnihi awliyāa lā yamlikūna li-anfusihim nafʿan walā ḍarran qul hal yastawī l-aʿmā wal-baṣīru am hal tastawī l-ẓulumātu wal-nūru am jaʿalū lillahi shurakāa khalaqū kakhalqihi fatashābaha l-khalqu ʿalayhim quli l-lahu khāliqu kulli shayin wahuwa l-wāḥidu l-qahāru

Say, "Who is Lord of the heavens and earth?" Say, "Allāh." 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 Allāh partners who created like His creation so that the creation [of each] seemed similar to them?" Say, "Allāh is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Prevailing."(16)

Word by word

  1. قُلْqulSay
  2. مَنmanWho
  3. رَّبُّrabbu(is) the Lord
  4. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِl-samāwāti(of) the heavens
  5. وَٱلْأَرْضِwal-arḍiand the earth
  6. قُلِquliSay
  7. ٱللَّهُ ۚl-lahuAllah
  8. قُلْqulSay
  9. أَفَٱتَّخَذْتُمafa-ittakhadhtumHave you then taken
  10. مِّنminfrom
  11. دُونِهِۦٓdūnihibesides Him
  12. أَوْلِيَآءَawliyāaprotectors
  13. لَاlānot
  14. يَمْلِكُونَyamlikūnathey have power
  15. لِأَنفُسِهِمْli-anfusihimfor themselves
  16. نَفْعًاnafʿan(to) benefit
  17. وَلَاwalāand not
  18. ضَرًّا ۚḍarran(to) harm
  19. قُلْqulSay
  20. هَلْhalIs
  21. يَسْتَوِىyastawīequal
  22. ٱلْأَعْمَىٰl-aʿmāthe blind
  23. وَٱلْبَصِيرُwal-baṣīruand the seeing
  24. أَمْamOr
  25. هَلْhalis
  26. تَسْتَوِىtastawīequal
  27. ٱلظُّلُمَٰتُl-ẓulumātuthe darkness[es]
  28. وَٱلنُّورُ ۗwal-nūruand the light
  29. أَمْamOr
  30. جَعَلُوا۟jaʿalūthey attribute
  31. لِلَّهِlillahito Allah
  32. شُرَكَآءَshurakāapartners
  33. خَلَقُوا۟khalaqūwho created
  34. كَخَلْقِهِۦkakhalqihilike His creation
  35. فَتَشَٰبَهَfatashābahaso that seemed alike
  36. ٱلْخَلْقُl-khalquthe creation
  37. عَلَيْهِمْ ۚʿalayhimto them
  38. قُلِquliSay
  39. ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
  40. خَٰلِقُkhāliqu(is) the Creator
  41. كُلِّkulliof all
  42. شَىْءٍshayinthings
  43. وَهُوَwahuwaand He
  44. ٱلْوَٰحِدُl-wāḥidu(is) the One
  45. ٱلْقَهَّٰرُl-qahāruthe Irresistible

Tafsir (commentary) of 13:16

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

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

Affirming Tawhid

Allah 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. Are those who worship the false deities instead of Allah equal to those who worship Him alone, without partners, and thus have a light from their Lord This is why Allah said here,

قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى الاٌّعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِى الظُّلُمَـتُ وَالنُّورُ أَمْ جَعَلُواْ للَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُواْ كَخَلْقِهِ فَتَشَابَهَ الْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ

(Say: "Is the blind equal to the one who sees Or darkness equal to light Or do they assign to Allah partners who created the like of His creation, so that the creations seemed alike to them") Allah asks, `Do these polytheists worship gods besides Him that rival Him in what He created Have their false deities created similar creations to those Allah created and, thus, they are confused between the two types of creations, not knowing which was created by others besides Allah' Rather, the Ayah proves that the truth is nothing like this. There is none similar to Allah, nor does He have an equal, a rival, anyone like Him, a minister, a son, or a wife. Allah is glorified in that He is far away from all that is ascribed to Him. These idolators worship gods that they themselves admit were created by Allah and are subservient to Him. They used to say during their Talbiyah: "Here we rush to Your obedience. There is no partner for You, except Your partner, You own him and he owns not." Allah also mentioned their polytheistic statements in other Ayat,

مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلاَّ لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَى

(We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah.) 39:3 Allah admonished them for this false creed, stating that only those whom He chooses are allowed to intercede with Him,

وَلاَ تَنفَعُ الشَّفَـعَةُ عِندَهُ إِلاَّ لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ

(Intercession with Him profits not except for him whom He permits.) 34:23

وَكَمْ مِّن مَّلَكٍ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ

(And there are many angels in the heavens.....)53:26, and,

إِن كُلُّ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِلاَّ آتِى الرَّحْمَـنِ عَبْداً - لَّقَدْ أَحْصَـهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدّاً - وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ فَرْداً

(There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Gracious (Allah) as a servant. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection.) 19:93-95 If all are Allah's servants, then why do any of them worships each other without proof or evidence that allows them to do so Rather, they rely on sheer opinion and innovation in the religion, even though Allah has sent all of His Prophets and Messengers, from beginning to end, prohibiting this practice (polytheism) and ordering them to refrain from worshipping others besides Allah. They defied their Messengers and rebelled against them, and this is why the word of punishment struck them as a worthy recompense, e

وَلاَ يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا

(And your Lord treats no one with injustice) 18:49

Read the full Surah Ar-Ra'd