إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ رَبِّى وَرَبُّكُمْ فَٱعْبُدُوهُ ۗ هَـٰذَا صِرَٰطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ 51
Translations
Indeed, Allāh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path.'"
Transliteration
Inna Allaha rabbi wa rabbukum fa'abuduh. Hadha siratun mustaqim.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah, spoken by Prophet Jesus (Isa) peace be upon him, affirms that Allah alone is his Lord and the Lord of all believers, commanding absolute monotheistic worship of Allah alone. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this statement is a clear declaration of tawhid (Islamic monotheism) and a refutation of the Christian notion of Jesus's divinity, as Jesus himself submits to Allah as his Lord. Al-Tabari notes that the phrase 'this is the straight path' encapsulates the essential message of all prophets—the worship of Allah alone without partners.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ali 'Imran's discussion of Jesus Christ, revealed in Madinah to clarify the Islamic position on Jesus's nature and message in response to Christian theological claims. The broader context addresses the distortions in Christian doctrine and reaffirms that Jesus, like all prophets, was a servant of Allah who called people to pure monotheism.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim: 'The first thing Allah created was the Pen, and He said to it: Write. It said: What shall I write, O Lord? He said: Write the decree of all things.' This relates thematically to predestination and divine oneness. Additionally, Surah Al-Ikhlas (112) serves as the closest Quranic parallel emphasizing pure monotheism.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that the core message of all prophets—past, present, and future—is the exclusive worship of Allah alone, and that following this straight path of monotheism is the foundation of spiritual success both in this life and the next.
Related Ayahs
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
He is Allāh, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Grantor of Security, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allāh above whatever they associate with Him.
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ فَٱعْبُدِ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ ٱلدِّينَ
Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O Muḥammad], in truth. So worship Allāh, [being] sincere to Him in religion.
ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ شَرِيكٌ فِى ٱلْمُلْكِ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُۥ تَقْدِيرًا
He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and who has not taken a son and has not had a partner in dominion and has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.
وَمَا لِىَ لَآ أَعْبُدُ ٱلَّذِى فَطَرَنِى وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
And why should I not worship He who created me and to whom you will be returned?