لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْـًٔا إِدًّا 89
Translations
You have done an atrocious thing.
Transliteration
Laqad ji'tum shayan idda
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah, addressing the disbelievers who attributed children to Allah, means 'You have certainly brought forth something terrible/extraordinary.' Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as Allah's rebuke to those who claimed He had a son or offspring, which is described as an enormously grave and absurd claim that shocks the very heavens. The word 'idda' (إدّا) emphasizes the severity and outrageousness of their assertion against Allah's oneness and transcendence.
Revelation Context
Surah Maryam addresses the Christian belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the polytheistic practices of pre-Islamic Arabia. This ayah specifically follows the mention of those who claim Allah has taken a son, and verse 88-89 describes how the heavens nearly burst and the earth splits apart due to the gravity of this claim—a metaphorical expression of the cosmic wrongness of ascribing partners or children to Allah.
Related Hadiths
The concept of tawhid (Allah's oneness) is reinforced throughout hadith literature. See Sahih Muslim 8 where the Prophet (ﷺ) stated that the greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah. Additionally, Sunan Ibn Majah contains narrations about the severity of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers the gravity of ascribing partners to Allah or denying His absolute oneness; it serves as a reminder to guard our faith carefully and understand that monotheism is not merely an intellectual position but the foundation of cosmic order and spiritual truth.