مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يَعْمُرُوا۟ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ شَـٰهِدِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِم بِٱلْكُفْرِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلنَّارِ هُمْ خَـٰلِدُونَ 17
Translations
It is not for the polytheists to maintain the mosques of Allāh [while] witnessing against themselves with disbelief. [For] those, their deeds have become worthless, and in the Fire they will abide eternally.
Transliteration
Mā kāna lil-mushrikīna an ya'murū masājida-llāhi shāhidīna 'alā anfusihim bil-kufr. Ulā'ika habitat a'māluhumw wa-fī-n-nāri hum khālidūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah declares that polytheists have no right to maintain or worship in Allah's mosques while bearing witness against themselves through their disbelief. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that such action nullifies all their deeds, as their worship is fundamentally rejected due to their shirk (associating partners with Allah). The ayah concludes with the severe warning that those who do so will dwell eternally in the Fire.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the context of Surah At-Tawbah (the ninth surah, revealed during the Medinan period), which addresses the breaking of treaties and the prohibition of polytheists from the sacred mosque. The specific context relates to the prohibition of mushrikīn (polytheists) from entering or maintaining the Masjid al-Haram and other places of worship in the Islamic state, particularly following the conquest of Mecca.
Related Hadiths
The hadith narrated by 'Ā'ishah (Sahih Bukhari): 'The Prophet said, Actions are judged by their intentions' (al-A'māl bi-n-niyyāt), which relates to the nullification of deeds when done with disbelief. Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim regarding the prohibition of polytheists approaching the Sacred Mosque.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that external acts of worship are meaningless without sincere belief in Allah's oneness; true devotion requires both righteous action and pure monotheistic intention. For modern Muslims, it emphasizes that maintaining mosques and religious spaces is exclusively for believers, and that one's spiritual standing before Allah depends fundamentally on rejecting all forms of shirk and idolatry.