أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً ۖ قُلْ هَاتُوا۟ بُرْهَـٰنَكُمْ ۖ هَـٰذَا ذِكْرُ مَن مَّعِىَ وَذِكْرُ مَن قَبْلِى ۗ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ فَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ 24
Translations
Or have they taken gods besides Him? Say, [O Muḥammad], "Produce your proof. This [Qur’ān] is the message for those with me and the message of those before me." But most of them do not know the truth, so they are turning away.
Transliteration
Am ittakhadhu min dūnihi āliha qul hātū burhānakum hādhā dhikru man ma'ī wa dhikru man qablī bal akthuruhum lā ya'lamūn al-haqq fa hum mu'ridūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah challenges the polytheists, asking if they have taken other gods besides Him, and commands the Prophet to demand they bring proof for their claim. Ibn Kathir explains that this ayah establishes that monotheism is the consistent message brought by all prophets, and the Quran itself is a sufficient proof. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that the polytheists' inability to provide evidence exposes the falsehood of their beliefs, and their turning away (i'rād) from truth demonstrates willful rejection rather than intellectual confusion.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Anbiyā, which highlights the unity of the message preached by all prophets and refutes polytheism. The surah's thematic focus is establishing Allah's oneness against the backdrop of Meccan idolatry. This particular ayah addresses the Quraysh's worship of idols by demanding rational proof—a challenge they could never meet.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim (no. 523) relates to the concept of clear proof, where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent.' This connects to the theme of speaking truth with evidence rather than empty claims.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that faith in Allah's oneness rests on clear evidence and rational foundation—both the Quran and the consistent testimony of all prophets affirm this truth. For modern readers, it inspires the practice of seeking knowledge and understanding our faith deeply, while recognizing that those who reject truth often do so not from lack of evidence but from deliberate turning away from it.