Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 31

(Ayah 31) ➊ { قُلْ مَنْ يَّرْزُقُكُمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَ الْاَرْضِ …:} After mentioning the follies of idolaters and their outcome, from here begins the presentation of arguments against idolatry. In summary, four things are presented here as refutation of shirk and as evidence for the oneness of Allah: First, who provides sustenance from the heavens and the earth? Who sends down rain from the sky and produces from the earth all your food and every necessity, thus providing you with sustenance? Second, the senses of man, among which hearing and sight are the most honorable, and are the means of human knowledge—who has control over these two, so that if He wills, He can take them away and make one blind and deaf? Third, who has the power over life and death, who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? For example, the sperm and the living being, the egg and the bird, the seed and the flourishing fields and trees, who brings forth one from the other among the believer and the disbeliever? Fourth, who manages every affair of the entire universe, in which there is neither any flaw nor accident? All the previous things are included in management, and whatever remained, after specifying management, all those are also included. This is the mention of the general after the specific.

➋ { فَسَيَقُوْلُوْنَ۠ اللّٰهُ …:} This “seen” is for emphasis; there are many examples of this in the Noble Qur’an and in Arabic speech, meaning that these polytheists will certainly say that it is Allah Almighty alone. Say to them: then do you not fear? From this it is understood that even the disbelievers at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) acknowledged that no one is equal to Allah and no one can compete with Him, but they accepted idols or saints as their agents and means in His presence, and thus became disbelievers. So even now, whoever affirms the power of any creature to act in the world, and accepts it as his agent—even if he does not consider it equal to Allah and does not affirm for it the power to compete with Him—shirk is established upon him.

31. 1. This verse also makes it clear that the polytheists acknowledged Allah's ownership, creatorship, lordship, and His being the administrator of affairs. But despite this, since they associated others with Him in His divinity, Allah declared them to be the fuel of Hell. The claimants of faith today also deny this very Tawheed of divinity.

31. Say to them: "Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth? Or who owns the hearing and the sight? And who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who manages all affairs?" They will surely say, "Allah." Then say, "Will you not then fear Him [45]?"

[45] The polytheists of Makkah believed in all the matters mentioned in this verse, which establish Allah’s universal Lordship and indicate His all-encompassing authority and power. Based on this very belief of theirs, they are being asked: When you acknowledge all these things—that the Creator of the universe, the Owner of all sovereignty, the Absolute Lord, and the One with complete control is only Allah—then you should fear Him alone and worship Him alone. Thus, on the basis of the oneness of Lordship, an argument is being presented to refute associating partners with Allah in worship.