Surah 21:23

Surah 21

"He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned."

Islamic Commentaries (1)Manuscripts (37)

Refutation of false gods Verses 21:21-23

Show Full Scripture Context (21:21-23) — 3 Verses

Verse 21

أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوٓاْ ءَالِهَةٗ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ هُمۡ يُنشِرُونَ

Or have they taken gods from the earth? Do they raise (the dead)?

Verse 22

لَوۡ كَانَ فِيهِمَآ ءَالِهَةٌ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَاۚ فَسُبۡحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَرۡشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

If there were any gods in the two of them other than God, the two would indeed go to ruin. So glory to God, Lord of the throne, above what they allege!

Verse 23

لَا يُسۡـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفۡعَلُ وَهُمۡ يُسۡـَٔلُونَ

He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.

Allah denounces those who take other gods instead of Him:

Quoted Scripture

"0r have they taken gods from the earth who raise the dead?"

meaning, can they bring the dead back to life and bring them forth from the earth? They cannot do any of that, so how can they make them rivals to Allah and worship them alongside Him?

Then Allah tells us that if there were another god besides Him, the heavens and the earth would be ruined:

{Had there been therein gods} means, in the heavens and the earth,

{ithen verily, both would have been ruined.} This is like the Ayah:

{No son did Allah beget, nor is there any god along with Him . Then each god tvould have taken away ivhat he had created, and some would have tried to overcome others! Glorified be Allah aborve all that they attribute to Him!} [23:91],

And Allah says here:

Quoted Scripture

"Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, above all that they associate with Him!"

meaning, glorified be He above what they say about Him having offspring or partners; glorified and exalted and sanctified be He far above all the lies that they fabricate.

Quoted Scripture

"He cannot be questioned about what He does, while they will be questioned."

He is the Ruler Whose rule cannot be overturned and none can object to it, because of His might, majesty, pride, knowledge, wisdom, justice and subtlety.

{iwhile they will be questioned.} means, He is the One Who will ask His creation about what they did. This is like the Ayah:

{So, by your Lord, I'Ve shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do.} [15:92-93]

{And He protects (all), white against Whom there is no protector} [23:88]

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.

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