Surah 21:66

Surah 21

"He said, ‘Do you serve what does not benefit you at all, or harm you, instead of God (alone)?"

Islamic Commentaries (1)Manuscripts (46)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir Verses 21:64-67

Show Full Scripture Context (21:64-67) — 4 Verses

Verse 64

فَرَجَعُوٓاْ إِلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ فَقَالُوٓاْ إِنَّكُمۡ أَنتُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ

And they turned to each other, and said, ‘Surely you – you are the evildoers.’

Verse 65

ثُمَّ نُكِسُواْ عَلَىٰ رُءُوسِهِمۡ لَقَدۡ عَلِمۡتَ مَا هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ يَنطِقُونَ

Then they became utterly confused: ‘Certainly you know (that) these do not speak.’

Verse 66

قَالَ أَفَتَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُكُمۡ شَيۡـٔٗا وَلَا يَضُرُّكُمۡ

He said, ‘Do you serve what does not benefit you at all, or harm you, instead of God (alone)?

Verse 67

أُفّٖ لَّكُمۡ وَلِمَا تَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ

Uff to you and to what you serve instead of God! Will you not understand?’

Quoted Scripture

"So they turned to themselves and said: " Verily , you are the wrongdoers.”"

meaning, if they cannot speak and they can neither benefit you nor harm you, then why do you worship them instead of Allah?

Quoted Scripture

"Fie upon you, and upon that which you worship besides Allah! Have you then no sense?"

‘Do you not realize the extent of the misguidance and extreme disbelief which you are following, which no one could accept but one who is an ignorant and evil wrongdoer?’ He defeated them in argument and left them with no way out. Allah said:

{And that was Our proof which We gave Ibrahim against his people} [6:83]

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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