وَمَنَوٰةَ ٱلثَّالِثَةَ ٱلْأُخْرَىٰٓ 20
Translations
And Manāt, the third - the other one?
Transliteration
Wa-manāta ath-thālithata al-ukhrā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to Manat, one of the three pre-Islamic Arabian goddesses that polytheists falsely associated with Allah. The verse is part of a broader condemnation of idolatry, emphasizing that these false deities have no basis in divine revelation. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note this ayah refutes the pagan practice of attributing daughters to Allah and worshipping these invented idols.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Najm's discussion of pagan Arabian idolatry during the Meccan period. The context addresses the false beliefs of the Quraysh who claimed Allah had daughters (Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat), a practice explicitly rejected by Islamic monotheism. The surah establishes that only Allah deserves worship.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari reports that when the Prophet ﷺ recited verses about these goddesses (53:19-20), the pagans momentarily seemed pleased, leading to the revelation of clarifying verses. This incident illustrates how firmly the Quran rejected any compromise with idolatry.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that false beliefs and idolatrous practices, no matter how culturally entrenched, have no legitimacy in the sight of Allah. It teaches the importance of absolute monotheism and vigilance against modern forms of idolatry that distract from true worship.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ ٱلْأُنثَىٰ
Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter name the angels female names,
وَأَنَّهُۥ تَعَـٰلَىٰ جَدُّ رَبِّنَا مَا ٱتَّخَذَ صَـٰحِبَةً وَلَا وَلَدًا
And [it teaches] that exalted is the nobleness of our Lord; He has not taken a wife or a son
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.
ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَّجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُ مُتَشَـٰكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِّرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Allāh presents an example: a man [i.e., slave] owned by quarreling partners and another belonging exclusively to one man - are they equal in comparison? Praise be to Allāh! But most of them do not know.