سُوْرَةُ الرَّعْدِ
Surah Ar-Ra'd (13) — Ayah 14
لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَىْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَـٰسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ ﴿14﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
For Him (Allah, Alone) is the Word of Truth (i.e. none has the right to be worshipped but Allah). And those whom they (polytheists and disbelievers) invoke, answer them no more than one who stretches forth his hand (at the edge of a deep well) for water to reach his mouth, but it reaches him not; and the invocation of the disbelievers is nothing but an error (i.e. of no use).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
لَهُۥ
lahu
To Him
دَعْوَةُ
daʿwatu
(is) supplication
ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ
l-ḥaqi
(of) the truth
وَٱلَّذِينَ
wa-alladhīna
And those whom
يَدْعُونَ
yadʿūna
they invoke
مِن
min
besides Him
دُونِهِۦ
dūnihi
besides Him
لَا
lā
not
يَسْتَجِيبُونَ
yastajībūna
they respond
لَهُم
lahum
to them
بِشَىْءٍ
bishayin
with a thing
إِلَّا
illā
except
كَبَـٰسِطِ
kabāsiṭi
like one who stretches
كَفَّيْهِ
kaffayhi
his hands
إِلَى
ilā
towards
ٱلْمَآءِ
l-māi
water
لِيَبْلُغَ
liyablugha
to reach
فَاهُ
fāhu
his mouth
وَمَا
wamā
but not
هُوَ
huwa
it
بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦ ۚ
bibālighihi
reaches it
وَمَا
wamā
And not
دُعَآءُ
duʿāu
(is) the supplication
ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
l-kāfirīna
(of) the disbelievers
إِلَّا
illā
but
فِى
fī
in
ضَلَـٰلٍۢ
ḍalālin
error
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.
14. 1. That is, in times of fear and hope, calling upon only that one Allah is Sahih, because He alone hears and accepts everyone's call or supplication. the 'call' (da'wat) here means worship ('ibadat), that is, only His worship is rightful and Sahih; no one else is worthy of worship, because the Creator, Owner, and Administrator of the universe is only He, therefore worship is His exclusive right.
14. 2. That is, those who, leaving Allah, call upon others for help—their example is like a person who, from a distance, stretches out both his palms towards water and says to the water, "Come to my mouth." Obviously, water is an inanimate thing; it does not even know what the need of the one stretching out his palms is, nor does it know that he is demanding it to reach his mouth, nor does it have the power to move from its place to reach his hands or mouth. In the same way, those polytheists who call upon others besides Allah, those whom they call upon do not know that anyone is calling them or what his need is, nor do they have the power to fulfill that need.
14. 3. And it is useless as well, because it will not benefit them in any way.
14. 2. That is, those who, leaving Allah, call upon others for help—their example is like a person who, from a distance, stretches out both his palms towards water and says to the water, "Come to my mouth." Obviously, water is an inanimate thing; it does not even know what the need of the one stretching out his palms is, nor does it know that he is demanding it to reach his mouth, nor does it have the power to move from its place to reach his hands or mouth. In the same way, those polytheists who call upon others besides Allah, those whom they call upon do not know that anyone is calling them or what his need is, nor do they have the power to fulfill that need.
14. 3. And it is useless as well, because it will not benefit them in any way.
