Surah Ya-Sin 36:23
سُورَةُ يسٓ · Meccan · Verse 23 of 83
ءَأَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً إِن يُرِدْنِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ بِضُرٍّۢ لَّا تُغْنِ عَنِّى شَفَٰعَتُهُمْ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يُنقِذُونِ
Translation
How could I take besides Him any other gods, whose intercession will not help me and who would not be able to save me if the Lord of Mercy wished to harm me?
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'Shall I take besides Him gods whose intercession, if the Most Merciful intends me harm, avails me nothing and who cannot save me?' al-Saadi and Ibn Ashur note the pure logic of tawhid here: why cling to 'powers' that are useless the moment real harm is decreed, when the One who actually holds harm and rescue is right there? The false gods can neither intercede nor rescue. Ask yourself: I have my own 'gods besides Him', the connections, the money, the status I trust to save me. This verse asks the cold question: when real harm comes, can any of them actually intercept it? If not, why is so much of my hope invested in them, and so little in the One who decides?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Ashur, al-Razi.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Ya-Sin 36:23 is discussed in 7 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Ya-Sin 36:23 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.