وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ لَهُمْ نَصْرًا وَلَآ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَنصُرُونَ 192
Translations
And they [i.e., the false deities] are unable to [give] them help, nor can they help themselves.
Transliteration
Wa lā yastṭāʿūna lahum naṣran wa lā anfusahum yanṣurūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphasizes the complete helplessness of idols, stating that they cannot provide assistance to their worshippers, nor can they even help themselves. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as a decisive refutation of idol worship, highlighting the logical absurdity of seeking aid from entities that are themselves powerless and incapable of self-preservation, thereby reinforcing monotheism (tawhīd) as the only rational path.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within a broader Meccan passage (7:191-198) that systematically dismantles the practice of idol worship through rational argumentation. The context addresses the polytheists who attributed partners to Allah by crafting idols from wood and stone, and this specific verse concludes the logical chain demonstrating that such idols deserve neither worship nor reliance.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this verse, Sahih Bukhari (3.34.305) contains hadith material related to the futility of worshipping besides Allah. The theme resonates with various hadiths on tawhīd, such as those in Sunan Ibn Mājah regarding the severity of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to place their complete trust solely in Allah, as all other entities—whether idols, wealth, or human intermediaries—are inherently powerless. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder to evaluate what or whom we rely upon in life and to redirect all hopes and petitions exclusively to the One True God.
Related Ayahs
أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لِلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَهْلِهَآ أَن لَّوْ نَشَآءُ أَصَبْنَـٰهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۚ وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ
Has it not become clear to those who inherited the earth after its [previous] people that if We willed, We could afflict them for their sins? But We seal over their hearts so they do not hear.
وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَـٰلِحًا ۗ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ هَـٰذِهِۦ نَاقَةُ ٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ ءَايَةً ۖ فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِىٓ أَرْضِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوٓءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
And to the Thamūd [We sent] their brother Ṣāliḥ. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. This is the she-camel of Allāh [sent] to you as a sign. So leave her to eat within Allāh's land and do not touch her with harm, lest there seize you a painful punishment.
وَكَم مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهَا فَجَآءَهَا بَأْسُنَا بَيَـٰتًا أَوْ هُمْ قَآئِلُونَ
And how many cities have We destroyed, and Our punishment came to them at night or while they were sleeping at noon.
ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لَهْوًا وَلَعِبًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ فَٱلْيَوْمَ نَنسَىٰهُمْ كَمَا نَسُوا۟ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَـٰذَا وَمَا كَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ
Who took their religion as distraction and amusement and whom the worldly life deluded." So today We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs and for having rejected Our verses.