هَـٰذَا خَلْقُ ٱللَّهِ فَأَرُونِى مَاذَا خَلَقَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۚ بَلِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ 11
Translations
This is the creation of Allāh. So show Me what those other than Him have created. Rather, the wrongdoers are in clear error.
Transliteration
Hādhā khalqu Allāhi fa-arūnī mādhā khalaqa alladhīna min dūnihi. Bali az-zālimūn fī dhalālin mubīn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah challenges the polytheists to produce creation comparable to Allah's if they truly believe their idols are divine partners with Him. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this is a rhetorical argument demonstrating the absurdity of shirk (associating partners with Allah), as only Allah possesses the power to create. The verse concludes by stating that those who persist in associating partners with Allah are in manifest error, emphasizing the clarity and obviousness of this misguidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Luqman's broader context of monotheistic instruction and refutation of polytheism. It follows Luqman's moral teachings to his son and serves to strengthen the theological foundation of tawheed (Islamic monotheism) by logically demonstrating Allah's unique creative power, a recurrent theme in Meccan surahs addressing early Muslim converts surrounded by pagan society.
Related Hadiths
The theme relates to Hadith Qudsi: 'Whoever claims that there is another god besides Allah, or that Allah has a son, or that Allah is not the greatest of all things, has committed kufr (disbelief).' Also relevant is the Hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet ﷺ emphasized: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah (shirk).'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that reflection upon creation itself is evidence of Allah's oneness and should lead believers to reject all forms of shirk. For modern readers, it encourages intellectual engagement with faith—recognizing that monotheism is not only spiritually necessary but logically sound, challenging us to examine what we truly worship and submit to in our lives.