وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَآ أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلَا تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُم بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَـٰنًا ۚ فَأَىُّ ٱلْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِٱلْأَمْنِ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ 81
Translations
And how should I fear what you associate while you do not fear that you have associated with Allāh that for which He has not sent down to you any authority? So which of the two parties has more right to security, if you should know?"
Transliteration
Wa kayfa akhaafu maa ashraktum wa laa takhaafoona annakum ashraktum billahi maa lam yunazzil bihi alaikum sulta'anaa fa ayy al-fariqayn ahaqq bi al-amni in kuntum ta'lamuun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah contains Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham) rhetorical challenge to his people, questioning the illogic of their fear regarding his rejection of their idols while they themselves fearlessly associate partners with Allah without any divine proof or authority. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that Ibrahim is exposing the contradiction in their reasoning—they fear the consequences of monotheism yet show no fear of committing the grave sin of shirk (polytheism) without any scriptural evidence. The ayah concludes by asking which group—the believers in Allah alone or the polytheists—has a greater right to security, emphasizing that only those who practice pure monotheism deserve the ultimate safety and peace.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the dialogue between Prophet Ibrahim and his people in Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan surah addressing the idolaters of Mecca. The context shows Ibrahim's intellectual and spiritual response to his community's resistance to his message of pure monotheism, serving as a paradigm for believers facing similar opposition to Islamic teachings.
Related Hadiths
The Quran itself (6:82-83) continues with: 'It is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong—for them are security and they are rightly guided.' Additionally, hadith in Sahih Muslim relates to the concept that belief in Allah alone brings security: 'Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah, his wealth and blood become sacred and his reckoning is with Allah.'
Themes
Key Lesson
The ayah teaches believers to recognize the intellectual inconsistency of polytheism and to maintain unwavering confidence in Allah's protection, understanding that true security comes only through sincere monotheism without fear or shame, regardless of others' rejection or criticism.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ أَىُّ شَىْءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهَـٰدَةً ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۖ شَهِيدٌۢ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۚ وَأُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانُ لِأُنذِرَكُم بِهِۦ وَمَنۢ بَلَغَ ۚ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ ءَالِهَةً أُخْرَىٰ ۚ قُل لَّآ أَشْهَدُ ۚ قُلْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ وَإِنَّنِى بَرِىٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ
Say, "What thing is greatest in testimony?" Say, "Allāh is witness between me and you. And this Qur’ān was revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches. Do you [truly] testify that with Allāh there are other deities?" Say, "I will not testify [with you]." Say, "Indeed, He is but one God, and indeed, I am free of what you associate [with Him]."
ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ خَـٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَٱعْبُدُوهُ ۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَكِيلٌ
That is Allāh, your Lord; there is no deity except Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him. And He is Disposer of all things.
قَدْ نَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُۥ لَيَحْزُنُكَ ٱلَّذِى يَقُولُونَ ۖ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ
We know that you, [O Muḥammad], are saddened by what they say. And indeed, they do not call you untruthful, but it is the verses of Allāh that the wrongdoers reject.
وَمَا تَأْتِيهِم مِّنْ ءَايَةٍ مِّنْ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا كَانُوا۟ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ
And no sign comes to them from the signs of their Lord except that they turn away therefrom.