سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ

Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 56

The Night Journey · Meccan · Juz 15 · Page 287

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قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ فَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ ٱلضُّرِّ عَنكُمْ وَلَا تَحْوِيلًا ﴿56﴾

Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم): "Call upon those - besides Him - whom you pretend [to be gods like angels, ‘Îsâ (Jesus), ‘Uzair (Ezra), and others.]. They have neither the power to remove the adversity from you nor even to shift it from you to another person."

Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning

قُلِ quli Say
ٱدْعُوا۟ id'ʿū Call
ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those whom
زَعَمْتُم zaʿamtum you claimed
مِّن min besides Him
دُونِهِۦ dūnihi besides Him
فَلَا falā [then] not
يَمْلِكُونَ yamlikūna they have power
كَشْفَ kashfa (to) remove
ٱلضُّرِّ l-ḍuri the misfortunes
عَنكُمْ ʿankum from you
وَلَا walā and not
تَحْوِيلًا taḥwīlan (to) transfer (it)

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

(Ayah 56) ➊ {قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِيْنَ زَعَمْتُمْ … :} Alusi said, "Za‘m" is close to "zann" (i.e., assumption); sometimes it is used for something about which there is doubt. At times, it is also used in the meaning of "kadhib" (falsehood), and sometimes it is used for an established, true matter about which there is no doubt, as is found in several hadiths. In all such places, the meaning of "za‘m" will be {’’قَالَ‘‘}. "Za‘m" is among those verbs that are transitive to two objects. Here, both objects are omitted, meaning {’’ زَعَمْتُمُوْهُمْ آلِهَةً ‘‘} that call upon those whom you have assumed to be gods, i.e., angels, jinn, saints, idols, in short, all those whom you worship and call upon in times of difficulty, and whom you assume to be your gods and consider to be fulfillers of needs and removers of difficulties—call upon them.

➋ {فَلَا يَمْلِكُوْنَ كَشْفَ الضُّرِّ عَنْكُمْ وَ لَا تَحْوِيْلًا:} So they do not have power to remove harm from you, nor to transfer it to anyone else, so why do you prostrate to them and call upon them for help? Allah Almighty has mentioned this subject in several places; see Surah Al-An‘am (17, 40, 41), Yunus (107), and Surah An-Naml (62).

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

56. Say, "Call upon those whom you claim besides Allah; they have no power to remove hardship from you [69] or to change it."

[69] There is generality in this verse, meaning whether they are stone idols, angels, jinn, or deceased prophets and saints, all are included in this. The second point that is understood is that shirk is not only the act of prostrating to idols, but also calling upon them in times of difficulty is the same kind of shirk, and this is supported by many other verses and authentic ahadith. The third point is that no matter what kind of beings the objects of worship belong to, they can neither harm anyone nor benefit anyone, and all these are polytheistic beliefs.
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