وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ 25
Translations
And if you asked them, "Who created the heavens and earth?" they would surely say, "Allāh." Say, "[All] praise is [due] to Allāh"; but most of them do not know.
Transliteration
Wa-la-in sa-altahum man khalaqa as-samawati wa-al-arda layaqulunna Allah. Qul al-hamdu lillah. Bal akthuruhum la ya'lamun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses a fundamental contradiction in human nature: the pagans of Mecca readily acknowledge that Allah alone created the heavens and earth, yet they worship idols and associate partners with Him. Ibn Kathir explains that this acknowledgment comes from their fitrah (natural disposition), but their actions contradict their beliefs due to stubbornness and deviation. The Prophet is commanded to respond with 'All praise is due to Allah' and to note that most of them lack true knowledge ('ilm)—meaning they do not act upon what they claim to believe, conflating mere verbal confession with genuine understanding.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Luqman, a Meccan surah that addresses the idolaters of Mecca who rejected tawhid despite their innate recognition of Allah's oneness. The broader context shows the hypocrisy of those who acknowledge divine creation but deny divine exclusivity in worship, a central theme in refuting polytheism during the early Meccan period.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Every child is born upon the fitrah (natural disposition toward monotheism), but his parents make him a Jew, Christian, or Magian.' (Sahih Bukhari 1319). This hadith directly supports the ayah's implication that humans naturally recognize Allah's oneness but are led astray by societal influences and lack of true knowledge.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true faith requires more than intellectual acknowledgment—it demands sincere conviction reflected in actions and obedience. Modern believers should reflect on whether their beliefs align with their practices, ensuring that knowledge of Allah's oneness translates into exclusive devotion to Him alone.
Related Ayahs
هُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّلْمُحْسِنِينَ
As guidance and mercy for the doers of good
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۚ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ
And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allāh has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that upon which we found our fathers." Even if Satan was inviting them to the punishment of the Blaze?
خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ۖ وَأَلْقَىٰ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ رَوَٰسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ ۚ وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَنۢبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ
He created the heavens without pillars that you see and has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shift with you, and dispersed therein from every creature. And We sent down rain from the sky and made grow therein [plants] of every noble kind.
يَـٰبُنَىَّ أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأْمُرْ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱنْهَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَصَابَكَ ۖ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ ٱلْأُمُورِ
O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] resolve.