أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَآئِمٌ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ ۗ وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ قُلْ سَمُّوهُمْ ۚ أَمْ تُنَبِّـُٔونَهُۥ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَم بِظَـٰهِرٍ مِّنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ ۗ بَلْ زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مَكْرُهُمْ وَصُدُّوا۟ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۗ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍ 33
Translations
Then is He who is a maintainer of every soul, [knowing] what it has earned, [like any other]? But to Allāh they have attributed partners. Say, "Name them. Or do you inform Him of that which He knows not upon the earth or of what is apparent [i.e., alleged] of speech?" Rather, their [own] plan has been made attractive to those who disbelieve, and they have been averted from the way. And whomever Allāh sends astray - there will be for him no guide.
Transliteration
Afaman huwa qa'imun 'ala kulli nafsin bima kasabat, wa ja'alu lillahi shurakaa'a qul sammu'uhum, am tunabbiu'unahū bima la ya'lamu fi al-ardi am bi-zahirin min al-qawl, bal zuyyana lilladhina kafarū makruhum wa suddū 'an as-sabil, wa man yudlil allahu fama lahu min hādin.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms Allah's complete knowledge and control over all souls and their deeds, challenging the polytheists who ascribe partners to Him. The Qur'an asks the disbelievers to name their idols and mocks the irrationality of their shirk (associating partners with Allah), whether through unknown attributes or mere empty speech. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the ayah emphasizes that those who persist in disbelief have had their deceptions beautified for them by Allah as a form of divine trial, and whoever Allah allows to stray has no guide to bring them back to the truth.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Medina, this ayah is part of Surah Ar-Ra'd's broader theme of establishing Allah's absolute oneness and denouncing polytheism. The context addresses the persistent denial of the Meccan polytheists despite clear signs, emphasizing that their opposition to monotheism is rooted in spiritual blindness rather than rational objection.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever dies while associating partners with Allah enters the Fire' (Sahih Muslim 93). Additionally, the ayah's theme relates to the hadith: 'The most grievous sin is to associate partners with Allah' (Sahih Bukhari 3157).
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must recognize that Allah's knowledge encompasses all actions and intentions, making sincere worship to Him alone the only rational path. The ayah warns against following cultural or inherited practices without reason, urging us to question and reject any belief system that contradicts the oneness of Allah.