وَأَنِ ٱعْبُدُونِى ۚ هَـٰذَا صِرَٰطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ 61
Translations
And that you worship [only] Me? This is a straight path.
Transliteration
Wa-an u'buduni. Hadha siratun mustaqim.
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the servants to worship Him alone, declaring that this monotheistic devotion is the straight path. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this ayah encapsulates the central message of all prophets—that sincere worship of Allah alone, free from shirk (associating partners with Allah), constitutes the only true and righteous path to salvation. This command appears within the context of Ya-Sin's warnings about rejecting the messengers and idolatry.
Revelation Context
Surah Ya-Sin is a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of the Prophet's mission when polytheism and idol worship were prevalent in Arabia. This particular ayah is part of a broader passage warning against following desires and associating partners with Allah, emphasizing the unified message that all of Allah's messengers brought to their peoples.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The first thing for which people will be called to account on the Day of Judgment is prayer, and the first thing of their deeds for which they will be rewarded is charity' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith 'Whoever says: there is no god but Allah, sincerely from his heart, will enter Paradise' (Sahih Bukhari) relates directly to the essence of worship mentioned here.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that true success and guidance lie exclusively in the sincere worship of Allah alone, free from distraction and deviation. In our modern context, it calls us to examine whether our actions, intentions, and devotion are purely for Allah's sake, or whether worldly concerns and desires have compromised our spiritual commitment.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَٱتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمْ نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا ۚ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ وَٱلْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِى ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتُ وَٱلنُّورُ ۗ أَمْ جَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُوا۟ كَخَلْقِهِۦ فَتَشَـٰبَهَ ٱلْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ خَـٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُوَ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّـٰرُ
Say, "Who is Lord of the heavens and earth?" Say, "Allāh." Say, "Have you then taken besides Him allies not possessing [even] for themselves any benefit or any harm?" Say, "Is the blind equivalent to the seeing? Or is darkness equivalent to light? Or have they attributed to Allāh partners who created like His creation so that the creation [of each] seemed similar to them?" Say, "Allāh is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Prevailing."
وَسْـَٔلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَآ أَجَعَلْنَا مِن دُونِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ءَالِهَةً يُعْبَدُونَ
And ask those We sent before you of Our messengers; have We made besides the Most Merciful deities to be worshipped?
وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱللَّهُ حَفِيظٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِوَكِيلٍ
And those who take as allies other than Him - Allāh is [yet] Guardian over them; and you, [O Muḥammad], are not over them a manager.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
That is because Allāh is the True Reality, and that what they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allāh is the Most High, the Grand.