Surah Ya-Sin 36:74
سُورَةُ يسٓ · Meccan · Verse 74 of 83
وَٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ءَالِهَةًۭ لَّعَلَّهُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
Translation
Yet they have taken other gods besides God to help them,
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'But they have taken gods besides Allah, hoping that they might be helped.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the pitiful bargain: turning for rescue to things with no power to rescue, investing hope in what cannot deliver. The motive is understandable, the human craving for help, but it is aimed at the powerless. Ask yourself: I have my own 'gods besides Allah' that I turn to for rescue, a person, a status, a habit, a bank balance, hoping they will save me when things collapse. This verse doesn't mock the need for help; it questions the address I send it to. When I'm desperate, where does my hope actually run first, and does that thing have any real power to help me, or only the appearance of it?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Ya-Sin 36:74 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
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