أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۖ فَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلْوَلِىُّ وَهُوَ يُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ 9
Translations
Or have they taken protectors [or allies] besides Him? But Allāh - He is the Protector, and He gives life to the dead, and He is over all things competent.
Transliteration
Am ittakhadhu min dūnihi awliyāa fa-allāhu huwa al-waliyyu wa-huwa yuhyī al-mawtā wa-huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rejects the polytheistic practice of taking guardians and protectors besides Allah, asserting that Allah alone is the true Guardian (al-Walī) who possesses ultimate authority and power. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari emphasize that the ayah establishes Allah's exclusivity in guardianship through three divine attributes: His role as the sole Guardian, His power to give life to the dead, and His absolute power over all creation. This comprehensively refutes any claim that lesser beings—whether angels, saints, or idols—can provide genuine protection or intercession independent of Allah's will.
Revelation Context
Surah Ash-Shuraa is a Meccan surah revealed during the period of intense polytheistic opposition. This ayah addresses the pre-Islamic Arabian practice of invoking intermediaries and saints as guardians and helpers, establishing theological monotheism (tawḥīd) as the foundational principle of Islamic belief during a time when Muslims faced resistance from those who clung to their ancestral idolatrous practices.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: 'There is no god but Allah alone without a partner; to Him belongs dominion and to Him belongs praise, and He is over all things competent' (Sahih Muslim 2711). This hadith reinforces the exclusive guardianship of Allah emphasized in the ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims must recognize that true protection, guidance, and security come only from Allah, rejecting the temptation to seek help from created beings or relying on anything besides submission to Him. This ayah teaches that acknowledging Allah's exclusive guardianship fosters trust in divine providence and freedom from the spiritual slavery of seeking intercession through false means.
Related Ayahs
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلَّذِى يُبَشِّرُ ٱللَّهُ عِبَادَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ ۗ قُل لَّآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا ٱلْمَوَدَّةَ فِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ ۗ وَمَن يَقْتَرِفْ حَسَنَةً نَّزِدْ لَهُۥ فِيهَا حُسْنًا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ
It is that of which Allāh gives good tidings to His servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say, [O Muḥammad], "I do not ask you for it [i.e., this message] any payment [but] only good will through [i.e., due to] kinship." And whoever commits a good deed - We will increase for him good therein. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Appreciative.
فَلِذَٰلِكَ فَٱدْعُ ۖ وَٱسْتَقِمْ كَمَآ أُمِرْتَ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ ۖ وَقُلْ ءَامَنتُ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِن كِتَـٰبٍ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَعْدِلَ بَيْنَكُمُ ۖ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ ۖ لَنَآ أَعْمَـٰلُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَـٰلُكُمْ ۖ لَا حُجَّةَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ ۖ ٱللَّهُ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
So to that [religion of Allāh] invite, [O Muḥammad], and remain on a right course as you are commanded and do not follow their inclinations but say, "I have believed in what Allāh has revealed of scripture [i.e., the Qur’ān], and I have been commanded to do justice among you. Allāh is our Lord and your Lord. For us are our deeds, and for you your deeds. There is no [need for] argument between us and you. Allāh will bring us together, and to Him is the [final] destination."
حمٓ
Ḥā, Meem.
وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ خَلْقُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَثَّ فِيهِمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ ۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ جَمْعِهِمْ إِذَا يَشَآءُ قَدِيرٌ
And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and what He has dispersed throughout them of creatures. And He, for gathering them when He wills, is competent.