Surah 13:16
Show Full Scripture Context (13:15-16) — 2 Verses
وَلِلَّهِۤ يَسۡجُدُۤ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ طَوۡعٗا وَكَرۡهٗا وَظِلَٰلُهُم بِٱلۡغُدُوِّ وَٱلۡأٓصَالِ۩
Whatever is in the heavens and the earth prostrates itself before God, willingly or unwillingly, and (so do) their shadows in the morning and the evenings.
قُلۡ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ قُلِ ٱللَّهُۚ قُلۡ أَفَٱتَّخَذۡتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوۡلِيَآءَ لَا يَمۡلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمۡ نَفۡعٗا وَلَا ضَرّٗاۚ قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِي ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ وَٱلۡبَصِيرُ أَمۡ هَلۡ تَسۡتَوِي ٱلظُّلُمَٰتُ وَٱلنُّورُۗ أَمۡ جَعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُواْ كَخَلۡقِهِۦ فَتَشَٰبَهَ ٱلۡخَلۡقُ عَلَيۡهِمۡۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ خَٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡوَٰحِدُ ٱلۡقَهَّـٰرُ
Say: ‘Who is Lord of the heavens and the earth?’ Say: ‘God.’ Say: ‘Have you taken allies other than Him? They do not have power to (cause) themselves benefit or harm.’ Say: ‘Are the blind and the sighted equal, or are the darkness and the light equal? Or have they set up associates for God who have created a creation like His, so that the creation is (all) alike to them?’ Say: ‘God is the Creator of everything. He is the One, the Supreme.’
{Have they not observed things that Allah has created: (how) their shadows incline.} [16:48]
Allah affirms here that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, since they admit that He alone created the heavens and the earth and that He is their Lord and the Disposer of all affairs. Yet, they take as lords others besides Allah and worship them, even though these false gods do not have the power to benefit or harm themselves, or those who worship them. Therefore, the polytheists will not benefit or have harm removed from them by these false deities. Are those who worship the false deities instead of Allah equal to those who worship Him alone, without partners, and thus have a light from their Lord? This is why Allah said here,
{Say: "Is the blind equal to the one who sees? Or darkness equal to light? Or do they assign to Allah partners who created the like of His creation, so that the creations seemed alike to them?"}
Allah asks, 'Do these polytheists worship gods besides Him... (polytheism) and ordering them to refrain from worshipping others besides Allah. They defied their Messengers and rebelled against them, and this is why the word of punishment struck them as a worthy recompense,
{And your Lord treats no one with injustice.} [18:49]