Surah 10

Surah 10:34

"Say: ‘(Is there) any of your associates who (can) bring about the creation, (and) then restore it?’ Say: ‘God – He brings about the creation, (and) then He restores it. How are you (so) deluded?’"
Tafsir Ibn Kathir Verses 10:34-36
Show Full Scripture Context (10:34-36) — 3 Verses
Verse 34

قُلۡ هَلۡ مِن شُرَكَآئِكُم مَّن يَبۡدَؤُاْ ٱلۡخَلۡقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يَبۡدَؤُاْ ٱلۡخَلۡقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤۡفَكُونَ

Say: ‘(Is there) any of your associates who (can) bring about the creation, (and) then restore it?’ Say: ‘God – He brings about the creation, (and) then He restores it. How are you (so) deluded?’

Verse 35

قُلۡ هَلۡ مِن شُرَكَآئِكُم مَّن يَهۡدِيٓ إِلَى ٱلۡحَقِّۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يَهۡدِي لِلۡحَقِّۗ أَفَمَن يَهۡدِيٓ إِلَى ٱلۡحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَن يُتَّبَعَ أَمَّن لَّا يَهِدِّيٓ إِلَّآ أَن يُهۡدَىٰۖ فَمَا لَكُمۡ كَيۡفَ تَحۡكُمُونَ

Say: ‘(Is there) any of your associates who (can) guide to the truth?’ Say: ‘God – He guides to the truth. Is He who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who does not guide unless he is guided? What is (the matter) with you? How do you judge?’

Verse 36

وَمَا يَتَّبِعُ أَكۡثَرُهُمۡ إِلَّا ظَنًّاۚ إِنَّ ٱلظَّنَّ لَا يُغۡنِي مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ شَيۡـًٔاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمُۢ بِمَا يَفۡعَلُونَ

Most of them only follow conjecture, (and) surely conjecture is of no use at all against the truth. Surely God is aware of what they do.

This invalidates and falsifies their claims for committing Shirk with Allah and worshipping different idols and rivals. {Say: "Is there of your partners one that originates the creation and then repeats it?"} meaning, who is the one who started the creation of these heavens and earth and created all the creatures in them? Who can place the planets and the stars in their positions? Who can then repeat the process of the creation? {Say: "Allah"} It is He Who does this. He does it by Himself, alone without partners. {"Then how are you deluded away (from the truth)?"} How is it that you are so misled from the right path to falsehood? {Say: "Is there of your partners one that guides to the truth?" Say: "It is Allah who guides to the truth..".} You know that your deities are incapable of guiding those who are astray. It is Allah alone Who guides the misled and confused ones and turns the hearts from the wrong path to the right path. It is Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but He. {Is then He Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unless he is guided?} Will the servant then follow the one who guides to the truth so that he may see after he was blind, or follow one who doesn't guide to anything except towards blindness and muteness? Allah said that Ibrahim said: {O my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything?} [19:42]. And said to his people {Worship you that which you (yourselves) carve? While Allah has created you and what you make!} [37:95-96]. Also, there are many Ayat in this regard. Allah then said: {Then, what is the matter with you? How judge you?} What is the matter with you? What has happened to your mind? How did you make Allah's creatures equal to Him? What kind of judgement did you make to turn away from Allah and worship this or that? Why did you not worship the Lord - Glorified be He, the True King, the Judge and the One Who guides to the truth? Why didn't you call upon Him alone and turn towards Him? Allah then explained that they did not follow their own religion out of evidence and proof. The fact is that they were following mere conjecture and imagination. But conjecture is in no way a substitute for the truth. At the end of this Ayah, He said, {Allah is All-Aware of what they do.} This is both a threat and a promise of severe punishment. Allah said that He would reward them for their actions with a complete reward.

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.