سُوْرَةُ الْفُرْقَانِ
Surah Al-Furqaan (25) — Ayah 55
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَا يَضُرُّهُمْ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱلْكَافِرُ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ ظَهِيرًا ﴿55﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And they (disbelievers, polytheists) worship besides Allâh that which can neither profit them nor harm them; and the disbeliever is ever a helper (of the Satan) against his Lord.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَيَعْبُدُونَ
wayaʿbudūna
But they worship
مِن
min
besides Allah
دُونِ
dūni
besides Allah
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
besides Allah
مَا
mā
what
لَا
lā
not profits them
يَنفَعُهُمْ
yanfaʿuhum
not profits them
وَلَا
walā
and not
يَضُرُّهُمْ ۗ
yaḍurruhum
harms them
وَكَانَ
wakāna
and is
ٱلْكَافِرُ
l-kāfiru
the disbeliever
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
against
رَبِّهِۦ
rabbihi
his Lord
ظَهِيرًۭا
ẓahīran
a helper
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 55) ➊ {وَ يَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ مَا لَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَ لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ … :} The thing that motivates a person to worship and self-surrender is either the hope of benefit or the fear of harm. After enumerating His favors upon mankind and the punishments given to the people of ‘Ad, Thamud, and other nations, Allah Almighty has described the foolishness of the disbelievers: that they have abandoned the Benefactor who created them from a drop of water and granted them every necessity and every blessing, and instead are worshipping those worthless things that can neither benefit nor harm them. The use of the imperfect tense (which denotes continuity) in {’’ يَعْبُدُوْنَ ‘‘} is mentioned to express amazement at their condition: it is not that they committed this baseness once or twice, but they keep on doing it. Allah Almighty has repeatedly negated in the Noble Qur’an the ownership of benefit and harm by any being other than Himself, and the right of worship for anyone else. See Surah al-Ma’idah (76), al-A’raf (188), Yunus (18, 49), Ra’d (16), Furqan (3), Ya-Sin (75), Fath (11), and Surah al-Jinn (21).
➋ In { وَ كَانَ الْكَافِرُ عَلٰى رَبِّهٖ ظَهِيْرًا : ’’ الْكَافِرُ ‘‘}, the alif-lam is for genus or for totality, and {’’ كَانَ ‘‘} is for continuity and permanence, meaning it is the habit of every disbeliever that he always helps the enemies of Allah Almighty against Him, whether they are devils from among the jinn or devils from among mankind. All his emotional, verbal, financial, and physical energies are devoted to opposing Islam and Muslims, and supporting disbelief and the disbelievers, as He said: «{اَلَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا يُقَاتِلُوْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا يُقَاتِلُوْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ الطَّاغُوْتِ فَقَاتِلُوْۤا اَوْلِيَآءَ الشَّيْطٰنِ اِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطٰنِ كَانَ ضَعِيْفًا } » [ النساء : ۷۶ ] “Those who believe fight in the way of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of false gods. So fight the friends of Satan; indeed, the plot of Satan has always been weak.” In {’’ عَلٰى رَبِّهٖ ‘‘}, the ingratitude of the disbeliever is highlighted: he should reflect on whom he is taking a stand against—is it against his very own Sustainer?
➋ In { وَ كَانَ الْكَافِرُ عَلٰى رَبِّهٖ ظَهِيْرًا : ’’ الْكَافِرُ ‘‘}, the alif-lam is for genus or for totality, and {’’ كَانَ ‘‘} is for continuity and permanence, meaning it is the habit of every disbeliever that he always helps the enemies of Allah Almighty against Him, whether they are devils from among the jinn or devils from among mankind. All his emotional, verbal, financial, and physical energies are devoted to opposing Islam and Muslims, and supporting disbelief and the disbelievers, as He said: «{اَلَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا يُقَاتِلُوْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا يُقَاتِلُوْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ الطَّاغُوْتِ فَقَاتِلُوْۤا اَوْلِيَآءَ الشَّيْطٰنِ اِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطٰنِ كَانَ ضَعِيْفًا } » [ النساء : ۷۶ ] “Those who believe fight in the way of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of false gods. So fight the friends of Satan; indeed, the plot of Satan has always been weak.” In {’’ عَلٰى رَبِّهٖ ‘‘}, the ingratitude of the disbeliever is highlighted: he should reflect on whom he is taking a stand against—is it against his very own Sustainer?
