Surah 10 Yunus — Ayah 18
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَٰٓؤُنَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قُلْ أَتُنَبِّـُٔونَ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
Oni uctívají místo Boha něco, co jim nemůže ani škodit, ani prospívat; a říkají: "Toto jsou přímluvci naši u Boha!" Rci: "Chcete poučovat Boha o něčem, co by neznal na nebesích a na zemi? Sláva Mu, oč vznešenější je On než to, co k Němu přidružujete!"
wayaʿbudūna min dūni l-lahi mā lā yaḍurruhum walā yanfaʿuhum wayaqūlūna hāulāi shufaʿāunā ʿinda l-lahi qul atunabbiūna l-laha bimā lā yaʿlamu fī l-samāwāti walā fī l-arḍi sub'ḥānahu wataʿālā ʿammā yush'rikūna
Word by word
- وَيَعْبُدُونَ wayaʿbudūna And they worship
- مِن min from
- دُونِ dūni other than
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi Allah
- مَا mā that (which)
- لَا lā (does) not
- يَضُرُّهُمْ yaḍurruhum harm them
- وَلَا walā and not
- يَنفَعُهُمْ yanfaʿuhum benefit them
- وَيَقُولُونَ wayaqūlūna and they say
- هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ hāulāi These
- شُفَعَـٰٓؤُنَا shufaʿāunā (are) our intercessors
- عِندَ ʿinda with
- ٱللَّهِ ۚ l-lahi Allah
- قُلْ qul Say
- أَتُنَبِّـُٔونَ atunabbiūna Do you inform
- ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
- بِمَا bimā of what
- لَا lā not
- يَعْلَمُ yaʿlamu he knows
- فِى fī in
- ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ l-samāwāti the heavens
- وَلَا walā and not
- فِى fī in
- ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ l-arḍi the earth
- سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ sub'ḥānahu Glorified is He
- وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ wataʿālā and Exalted
- عَمَّا ʿammā above what
- يُشْرِكُونَ yush'rikūna they associate (with Him)
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
What do the Idolators believe about Their Gods
Allah reproaches the idolators that worshipped others beside Allah, thinking that those gods would intercede for them before Allah. Allah states that these gods do not harm or benefit. They don't have any authority over anything, nor do they own anything. These gods can never do what the idolators had claimed about them. That is why Allah said:
(Say: `Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth') Ibn Jarir said: "This means, `Are you telling Allah about what may not happen in the heavens and earth' Allah then announced that His Glorious Self is far above their Shirk and Kufr by saying:
(Glorified and Exalted is He above all that which they associate as partners (with Him)!)
Shirk is New
Allah then tells us that Shirk was new among mankind. It was not in existence in the beginning. He tells us that people were believers in one religion and that religion was Islam. Ibn `Abbas said: "There were ten centuries between Adam and Nuh. They were all on Islam. Then differences among people took place. They worshipped idols and rivals. So Allah sent extensive evidence and irrefutable proof with His Messengers."
(So that those who were to be destroyed (for rejecting the faith) might be destroyed after a clear evidence, and those who were to live might live after a clear evidence.)8:42 Allah's statement:
(And had not it been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord...) means that if Allah had not decreed He would not punish anyone until the evidence is established against them. And also that if He had not given creatures a respite until a defined term had passed, He would have judged among them in what they disputed. Then He would have caused the believers to be happy and delighted and the disbelievers to be miserable and wretched.