وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُ نَادُوا۟ شُرَكَآءِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ فَدَعَوْهُمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّوْبِقًا 52
Translations
And [warn of] the Day when He will say, "Call My 'partners' whom you claimed," and they will invoke them, but they will not respond to them. And We will put between them [a valley of] destruction.
Transliteration
Wa-yawma yaqoolu nādoo shurakāʾī alladhīna zaʿamtum fa-daʿawhum falam yastajībū lahum wa-jaʿalnā baynahum mawbiqā
Tafsir (Explanation)
On the Day of Judgment, Allah will command the polytheists to call upon their false deities and intercessors whom they claimed could help them, but these idols will not respond to their pleas. Ibn Kathir explains that this demonstrates the utter powerlessness of false gods and the delusion of those who relied upon them, while Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that this scene serves as a stark confrontation between false hope and reality, with the term 'mawbiqā' (destruction/ruin) signifying the barrier of doom that separates believers from disbelievers.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Kahf, a Meccan chapter revealed during the early period of Islam when polytheism was prevalent in Arabia. It is part of a broader Quranic theme addressing the futility of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the consequences on the Day of Judgment. The ayah directly responds to the spiritual confusion of those who invested hope in false deities.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever dies while associating partners with Allah will enter the Fire.' (Sahih Bukhari 1239). Additionally, Surah Al-Kahf itself is mentioned in a hadith where the Prophet encouraged recitation on Fridays for protection against trials (Sunan Ad-Darimi 3407).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that reliance on anything or anyone other than Allah alone is ultimately futile and will be exposed on the Day of Judgment. For modern believers, it encourages sincere monotheism and warns against subtle forms of shirk, including excessive reliance on wealth, status, or influential figures instead of trusting solely in Allah's providence.