Surah 16 An-Nahl — Ayah 73
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ رِزْقًۭا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
۽ الله ڌاران انھن جي عبادت ڪندا آھن جيڪي آسمانن ۽ زمين مان کين روزي ڏيڻ جو ڪجھ اختيار نه رکندا آھن ۽ نڪي (ڪجھ ڪري) سگھندا آھن.
wayaʿbudūna min dūni l-lahi mā lā yamliku lahum riz'qan mina l-samāwāti wal-arḍi shayan walā yastaṭīʿūna
Word by word
- وَيَعْبُدُونَ wayaʿbudūna And they worship
- مِن min other than
- دُونِ dūni other than
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi Allah
- مَا mā which
- لَا lā not
- يَمْلِكُ yamliku possesses
- لَهُمْ lahum for them
- رِزْقًۭا riz'qan any provision
- مِّنَ mina from
- ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ l-samāwāti the heavens
- وَٱلْأَرْضِ wal-arḍi and the earth
- شَيْـًۭٔا shayan [anything]
- وَلَا walā and not
- يَسْتَطِيعُونَ yastaṭīʿūna they are able
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Denouncing the Worship of anything besides Allah
Allah tells us about the Mushrikin who worship others besides Him, even though He alone is the bountiful Provider, the Creator and Sustainer, without partners or associates, but they still worship idols and make rivals for Him. He says:
(such as do not have power to grant them any provision from the heavens or the earth) meaning, nobody can cause rain to fall, or make plants and trees grow. They cannot do these things for them- selves, even if they wanted to. Thus Allah says:
(So do not give examples on behalf of Allah.) meaning, do not set up rivals to Him or describe anything as being like Him.
(Truly, Allah knows and you know not.) meaning, He knows and bears witness that there is no god but Him, but you are ignorant and associate others in worship with Him.