Surah Yaseen 36:23 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

ءَأَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً إِن يُرِدْنِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ بِضُرٍّۢ لَّا تُغْنِ عَنِّى شَفَٰعَتُهُمْ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يُنقِذُونِ

English: 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?

Bengali: আমি কি তাঁর পরিবর্তে অন্যান্যদেরকে উপাস্যরূপে গ্রহণ করব? করুণাময় যদি আমাকে কষ্টে নিপতিত করতে চান, তবে তাদের সুপারিশ আমার কোনই কাজে আসবে না এবং তারা আমাকে রক্ষাও করতে পারবে না।

Meaning & 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.

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Yaseen 36:23:

• Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
• Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
• Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
• Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
• General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?