Tafsir of Surah Al-A'raf - Verse 193

Idols do not create, help, or have Power over Anything

Allah admonishes the idolators who worshipped idols, rivals and images besides Him, although these objects were created by Allah, and neither own anything nor can they bring harm or benefit. These objects do not see or give aid to those who worship them. They are inanimate objects that neither move, hear, or see. Those who worship these objects are better than they are, for they hear see and have strength of their own. Allah said,

أَيُشْرِكُونَ مَا لاَ يَخْلُقُ شَيْئاً وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ

(Do they attribute as partners to Allah those who created nothing but they themselves are created) meaning, `Do you associate with Allah others that neither create, nor have power to create anything' Allah said in another Ayah,

يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُواْ لَهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُواْ ذُبَاباً وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُواْ لَهُ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئاً لاَّ يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ - مَا قَدَرُواْ اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِىٌّ عَزِيزٌ

(O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): Verily, those on whom you call besides Allah, cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatches away a thing from them, they will have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought. They have not estimated Allah His rightful estimate. Verily, Allah is All-Strong, Almighty) 22:73-74. Allah states that if all false gods of the disbelievers gather their strength, they would not be able to create a fly. Rather, if the fly steals anything from them, no matter how insignificant, and flew away, they would not be able to retrieve it. Therefore, if an object is this weak, how can it be worshipped and invoked for provisions and aid This is why Allah said,

لاَ يَخْلُقُ شَيْئاً وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ

(... who created nothing but they themselves are created) these worshipped objects themselves were created and made. Prophet Ibrahim Al-Khalil proclaimed,

أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ

("Worship you that which you (yourselves) carve") 37:95 Allah said next,

وَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ لَهُمْ نَصْرًا

(No help can they give them) those who worship them,

وَلاَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَنصُرُونَ

(nor can they help themselves) nor are they able to aid themselves against those who seek to harm them. For instance, Allah's Khalil, peace be upon him, broke and disgraced the idols of his people, just as Allah said he did,

فَرَاغَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضَرْباً بِالْيَمِينِ

(Then he turned upon them, striking (them) with (his) right hand,) 37:93 and,

فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَاذاً إِلاَّ كَبِيراً لَّهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُونَ

(So he broke them to pieces, (all) except the biggest of them, that they might turn to it.) 21:58 Mu`adh bin `Amr ibn Al-Jamuh and Mu`adh bin Jabal, may Allah be pleased with both of them, were still young when they embraced Islam after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Al-Madinah. So they were attacking the idols of the idolators at night, breaking, disfiguring them and using them as fuel for needy widows. They sought to give a lesson to their people to make them aware of their error. `Amr bin Al-Jamuh, who was one of the chiefs of his people, had an idol that he used to worship and perfume. The two Mu`adhs used to go to that idol, turn it on its head and tarnish it with animal waste. When `Amr bin Al-Jamuh would see what happened to his idol, he would clean it, perfume it and leave a sword next to it, saying, "Defend yourself." However, the two young men would repeat their actions, and he would do the same as before. Once, they took the idol, tied it to a dead dog and threw it in a well while tied to a rope! When `Amr bin Al-Jamuh saw this, he knew that his religion was false and said, "By Allah! Had you been a god who has might, you would not end up tied to a dog on a rope!" `Amr bin Al-Jamuh embraced Islam, and he was strong in his Islam. He was later martyred during the battle of Uhud, may Allah be pleased with him, give him pleasure. and grant him Paradise as his dwelling. Allah said,

وَإِن تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى الْهُدَى لاَ يَتَّبِعُوكُمْ

(And if you call them to guidance, they follow you not.) Allah says, these idols do not hear the calls of those who worship them. Therefore, the result is the same, whether calling the idols or shunning them. Ibrahim, peace be upon said,

يأَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ وَلاَ يَبْصِرُ وَلاَ يُغْنِى عَنكَ شَيْئاً

("O my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything") 19:42 Next, Allah states that the idols were created, just as those who worship them. Rather, the people are better than the idols, because they are able to hear, see and exert harm. The idols, on the other hand, have no such powers. Allah said next,

قُلِ ادْعُواْ شُرَكَآءَكُمْ

(Say: "Call your (so-called) partners (of Allah)) invoke the idols for aid against me and do not give me respite, even for an instant, and give it your best effort,

إِنَّ وَلِيِّىَ اللَّهُ الَّذِى نَزَّلَ الْكِتَـبَ وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الصَّـلِحِينَ

(Verily, my protector is Allah Who has revealed the Book (the Qur'an), and He protects the righteous.) Allah's support is sufficient and He will suffice for me, He is My supporter, I trust in Him and take refuge with Him. He is my protector, in this life and the Hereafter, and the protector of every righteous believer after me. Similarly, the people of Hud said,

إِن نَّقُولُ إِلاَّ اعْتَرَاكَ بَعْضُ ءَالِهَتِنَا بِسُوءٍ قَالَ إِنِّى أُشْهِدُ اللَّهِ وَاشْهَدُواْ أَنِّى بَرِىءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ - مِن دُونِهِ فَكِيدُونِى جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ لاَ تُنظِرُونِ - إِنِّى تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّى وَرَبِّكُمْ مَّا مِن دَآبَّةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ ءاخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَآ إِنَّ رَبِّى عَلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

("All that we say is that some of our gods have seized you with evil (madness). " Hud replied: "I call Allah to witness, and bear you witness that I am free from that which you ascribe as partners in worship, with Him (Allah). So plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving (living) creature but He has the grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on a path that is straight) 11:54-56. Ibrahim Al-Khalil proclaimed (to his people),

قَالَ أَفَرَءَيْتُمْ مَّا كُنْتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ - أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُمُ الاٌّقْدَمُونَ - فَإِنَّهُمْ عَدُوٌّ لِى إِلاَّ رَبَّ الْعَـلَمِينَ - الَّذِى خَلَقَنِى فَهُوَ يَهْدِينِ

(Do you observe that which you have been wershipping, You and your ancient fathers. Verily, they are enemies to me, save the Lord of all that exists. Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me.") 26:75-78 He also said to his father and his people,

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَهِيمُ لاًّبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ إِنَّنِى بَرَآءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ - إِلاَّ الَّذِى فَطَرَنِى فَإِنَّهُ سَيَهْدِينِ - وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَـقِيَةً فِى عَقِبِهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

("Verily, I am innocent of what you warship. Except Him Who did create me; and verily, He will guide me." And he made it a legacy lasting among his offspring, that they may turn back (to Allah).) 43:26-28 Allah said here,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ

(Verily, those whom you call upon besides Allah) until the end of the Ayah, reiterating what has been said earlier, but He uses direct speech this time,

لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَكُمْ وَلاَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَنصُرُونَ

(cannot help you nor can they help themselves.) The Ayah,

وَإِن تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى الْهُدَى لاَ يَسْمَعُواْ وَتَرَاهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ لاَ يُبْصِرُونَ

(And if you call them to guidance, they hear not and you will see them looking at you, yet they see not.) is similar to another Ayah,

إِن تَدْعُوهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُواْ دُعَآءَكُمْ

(If you invoke (or call upon) them, they hear not your call.) 35:14. Allah said next,

وَتَرَاهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ لاَ يُبْصِرُونَ

(and you will see them looking at you, yet they see not.) meaning, they have eyes that stare as if they see, although they are solid. Therefore, the Ayah treated them as if they had a mind saying, Tarahum, instead of Taraha, since they are made in the shape of humans with eyes drawn on them.

In short, all the above acts or beliefs are different forms of 'Shirk' ~,. and the worst kind of ungratefulness to Allah, their Lord. The last sentence of this verse confirms misguidance of such people by saying:

فَتَعَالَى اللَّـهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِ‌كُونَ

"So far beyond is Allah than what they associate with Him."

The above interpretation of this verse has made it clear that by referring to the Prophet 'Adam and Hawwa' (Eve) (علیہما السلام) in the first sentence of this verse, the children of 'Adam have been asked to follow him and show their gratefulness to Allah, while the rest of the verse speaks of the misguidance and perversion of their descendants who, instead of being grateful to their Lord ascribed partners to Him.

This makes it clear that the Prophet 'Adam and Hawwa' (علیہما السلام) have nothing to do with those who ascribed partners with Allah. The verse refers to the generations coming after them who were ungrateful to Allah and involved themselves in Shirk. We have adopted this interpretation on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ reported by Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abi Hatim, in Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthur. The story related by Tirmidhi and Hakim about 'Adam and Hawwa' being deceived by Shaitan has been taken by some scholars as an unauthentic Israelite report which is liable to be rejected. Many Mulhaddithin, the scholars in Hadith have, on the other hand, confirmed it. The above interpretation, however, clears away any possible doubt even if the story is taken to be authentic.

The above verse has provided us with the following points of significant value.

1\. The men and women have been created in the same species in order that they may have a natural affinity and perfect understanding with each other, and discharge their duties towards the construction of a good society.

Havoc caused by immodesty

2\. The rights and obligations assigned to the married couple basically aim at providing a peaceful environment at home. There are many social behaviours of modern age that are directly opposed to the above objective of creating a peaceful atmosphere. For example, the so called freedom of woman has caused havoc to social peace. The alarming number of divorces and serious altercations are mostly the result of free mixing of men and women in society. By experience we know that the growth of immodest practices in society is proportional to the destruction of social values and deprives man of peace at home and in the society.

3\. The third point refers to the naming of one's children. It is prohibited to give names to the children like ` Abdul Shams (The slave of the Sun) or ` Abd al ` Uzza (The slave of ` Uzza) which purport to assign them to entities other than Allah. Giving such names is prohibited even if parents do not really mean it. This practice is a great sin in Islam.

4\. The best way of offering our gratitude to Allah is to name our children after the good names of Allah and His Messenger. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has, therefore, recommended the names like ` Abd ur Raliman, and ` Abdullah etc.

It is a pity that, one by one, we are depriving ourselves of all the Islamic manners and values. Firstly, we give our children non Islamic names simply following the fashion of the non-Islamic cultures. In addition, we find that most of the parents abbreviate the names of their children into English initials which makes it all the more difficult to distinguish them as Muslims. specially so, when we have worn the appearance of the non-Muslims, altogether. May Allah favour us with the real understanding of Islam and Islamic values.

This vast universe itself introduces its Creator. This introduction in no case admits of the concept of polytheism. In the universe countless items or parts are found separately; but all these parts combine and become a harmonious whole. There is no contradiction or clash among them. This perfect harmony could not be possible unless the Creator and Lord of this universe were one and in control of its functioning. Look at the case of man and woman. Man and woman both are born as independent beings. But at the same time both are complementary to each other in the full sense of the word. This harmony is so perfect that each of them feels that he or she was created for the other. This is a most wonderful example of harmony in this world. This harmony is a clear proof that both the male and the female were created by one and the same God. Had there been more than one Being in action in the universe, this perfect harmony between two different and opposite entities would not have been possible.