Tafsir of Surah Yunus - Verse 31

The Idolators recognize Allah's Tawhid in Lordship and the Evidence is established against Them through this Recognition

Allah argues that the idolators' recognition of Allah's Oneness in Lordship is an evidence against them, for which they should admit and recognize the Oneness in divinity and worship. So Allah said:

قُلْ مَن يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

(Say: "Who provides for you from the sky and the earth") meaning, who is He Who sends down water from the sky and splits the earth with His power and will and allows things to grow from it,

أَءِلـهٌ مَّعَ اللهِ

(Is there a god, besides Allah) 27:62 Who provides;

فَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبّاً - وَعِنَباً وَقَضْباً - وَزَيْتُوناً وَنَخْلاً - وَحَدَآئِقَ غُلْباً - وَفَـكِهَةً وَأَبّاً

(Grains. And grapes and clover plants. And olives and date palms. And gardens dense with many trees. And fruits and herbage.)"80:27-31

فَسَيَقُولُونَ اللَّهُ

(They will say: "Allah.")

أَمَّنْ هَـذَا الَّذِى يَرْزُقُكُمْ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ رِزْقَهُ

("Who is he that can provide for you if He should withhold His provision) 67:21 Allah's statement,

أَمَّن يَمْلِكُ السَّمْعَ والاٌّبْصَـرَ

(Or who owns hearing and sight) means that Allah is the One who granted you the power of sight and hearing. If He willed otherwise, He would remove these gifts and deprive you of them. Similarly, Allah said:

قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِى أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالاٌّبْصَـرَ

(Say it is He Who has created you, and endowed you with hearing and seeing.) 67:23 Allah also said:

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَـرَكُمْ

(Say: "Tell me, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight.)6:46 Then Allah said:

وَمَن يُخْرِجُ الْحَىَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَىِّ

(And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living) by His great power and grace.

وَمَن يُدَبِّرُ الاٌّمْرَ

(And who disposes of the affairs) In Whose Hand is the dominion of everything Who protects all, while against Whom there is no protector Who is the One who judges with none reversing His judgement Who is the One that is not questioned about what He does while they will be questioned

يَسْأَلُهُ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍ

(Whosoever is in the heavens and on earth begs of Him. Every day He is (engaged) in some affair!)55:29 The upper and lower kingdoms and what is in them both, including the angels, humans, and Jinn are in desperate need of Him. They are His servants and are under His control.

فَسَيَقُولُونَ اللَّهُ

(They will say: "Allah.") they say this knowingly and they admit it.

فَقُلْ أَفَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ

(Say: `Will you not then be afraid (of Allah's punishment)") meaning, don't you fear Him when you worship others because of your ignorance and false opinions Allah then said:

فَذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمُ الْحَقُّ

(Such is Allah, your Lord in truth.) This Lord that you admitted is the One Who does all this, is your Lord and the True Deity that deserves to be worshipped alone.

فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ الْحَقِّ إِلاَّ الضَّلاَلُ

(So after the truth, what else can there be, save error) any one worshipped other than Him is false, for there is no God but Allah, He Has no partners.

فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ

(How then are you turned away) How then can you turn away from His worship to worship others while you know that He is the Lord that has created everything, the One who controls and governs everything Allah then said:

كَذَلِكَ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ فَسَقُواْ

(Thus is the Word of your Lord justified against those who rebel,) These idolators disbelieved and continued to practice their Shirk, and worship others beside Allah. But they knew that He is the Creator, the Sustainer and the only One of authority and control in this universe, the One Who sent His Messengers to single Him out for all worship. As they disbelieved and were persistent in their Shirk, Allah's Word proved true and was justified that they would be miserable inhabitants of the Fire. Allah said:

قَالُواْ بَلَى وَلَـكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ الْعَذَابِ عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ

(They will say: "Yes," but the Word of torment has been justified against the disbelievers!) 39:71

In the seventh and the eighth verses (31, 32), the Holy Qur'an has, in its typically wise and patronizing manner, beamed a few questions at the Mushriks to help them regain their sanity. Addressing the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، it was said that he should ask these people: Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and the earth? Who is the master-controller of your ears and eyes in that you hear and see as He wills and you do not if He wills otherwise? Who brings forth the living from the dead, such as vegetation and trees from the soil? Or, who brings forth humans and animals from the sperm, or a bird from an egg? And who brings forth the dead from the living, such as a lifeless sperm from humans and animals? And who is it that plans and manages the affairs of the whole universe?

After that, it was said when these questions will be addressed to them, all of them would say that all these things were created by One Allah! Then, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was to ask them: Why then, would you not fear Allah? When you know that it is Allah alone who creates, sustains and manages everything, why do you have to take someone else other than Him as deserving of your devotion and obedience?

Man needs sustenance. How does he receive it? It is through the coordinated action of the universe. The whole universe, with the utmost harmony, acts in a particular direction. Then only is it possible to make available to man that provision without which it would not be possible for him to survive on this earth. Studies show that every phenomenon in the universe is a product of a great and harmonious coordination among numerous elements of different and opposite nature. According to the polytheists’ stand, this universal coordination of such a high degree becomes unexplainable. For these supposed partners in ‘godhead’ are responsible for only one part of the functioning of the universe. And a ‘god’ of one part can never cause an event which comes into existence through harmonious coordination of all parts. Moreover, there is the example of the wonderful capabilities bestowed upon man that are represented by his ears and eyes. These could not be treated as the endowment of any false god. The false gods and goddesses themselves are either devoid of these capabilities, or even if these are found in any supposed god, he is not their creator. Even these can be taken away as they are taken away from ordinary human beings. Similarly, it is not possible for these false gods to give life to lifeless things or to make living things lifeless. There is no proof of this and no worshippers of theirs hold this belief about them. Then how will it be possible for man to get such things from them? How strange it is that man believes in a great God but, in spite of that, he attributes such things to God as nullify His superior qualities. The reason for this is that he has no fear of God. As a result of his false ideas, he has consoled himself that God is not going to make him give an account of himself, and if the stage of reckoning comes, there are such beings who, in his support, will recommend him to God and save him. Fear makes a man serious; if a man’s heart is devoid of fear, nothing can stop him from adopting the way of injustice. Such a man becomes arrogant and an arrogant man never admits the Truth.