Surah Al-Ankaboot (29) — Ayah 17

(Ayah 17) ➊ {اِنَّمَا تَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ اَوْثَانًا:} Three words have been used in the Noble Qur’an for idols: (1) {’’صَنَمٌ‘‘}, its plural is {’’أَصْنَامٌ‘‘}, meaning those idols which are transferable and saleable, whether they are made of brass, iron, silver, wood, or stone, and {’’صِنَاعَةُ الْأَصْنَامِ‘‘} means the art of idol carving, just as the father of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was both an idol carver and an idol seller. (2) {’’نَصَبٌ‘‘}, its plural is {’’أَنْصَابٌ‘‘}, meaning those idols or statues which have been installed for worship, like the idols of the polytheists of Makkah: Lat, Manat, Uzza, and Hubal, etc. (3) {’’ أَوْثَانٌ ‘‘}, this is the plural of {’’وَثَنٌ‘‘}, and wathan is mostly related to places, i.e., shrines, etc., whether or not idols are installed there. Sometimes, at certain specific places, stones, trees (such as pipal, etc.), stars (such as the pole star, etc.), or rivers (such as the Ganges, etc.) are believed to possess divine attributes and their worship is started, and such places are often attributed to some saint, wali, or idol. When Ibrahim (peace be upon him) mentioned {’’ اَوْثَانًا ‘‘}, it refers to the idol houses of his people, in which idols are included by default. (Kilani) Those graves are also included in “awthan” which are worshipped, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ لاَ تَجْعَلْ قَبْرِيْ وَثَنًا يُّعْبَدُ، لَعَنَ اللّٰهُ قَوْمًا اتَّخَذُوْا قُبُوْرَ أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ مَسَاجِدَ ] [ مسند أحمد : 246/2، ح : ۷۳۷۶، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ، قال المحقق و إسنادہ قوي۔ الموطأ : 172/1، ح : ۴۱۴ ] “O Allah! Do not make my grave a wathan (idol) to be worshipped. Allah curses those who made the graves of their prophets places of prostration.”

➋ { وَ تَخْلُقُوْنَ اِفْكًا :} That is, you do not create idols, rather you create a heap of lies; you fabricate many stories and tales about these idols and idol houses and attribute them to them. For example, if milk is not offered once a month at a certain shrine, the animals fall ill or die, or the consequence of disrespecting or insulting a certain shrine is so dangerous, or by visiting a certain idol house or tomb, sustenance increases. Therefore, when you create these idols, you also create heaps of lies along with them; otherwise, merely making idols does not benefit you in any way. (Kilani)

➌ { اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ تَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ … :} In this verse and the previous verse, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) presented three arguments to his people for the refutation of shirk: first, that these idols are your own creations, meaning you are the creation of Allah and these are your creations, and the most important attribute of a deity is that He is the Creator, and everything else is His creation, and whatever is created cannot be a deity, and these “deities” are creations within creations, so how did they become deities? The second argument is that you yourselves have to invent stories and tales about the benefit or harm of these idols. If your stories are separated from them, then what remains are just stones or lifeless matter, and such matter cannot be a deity. The third argument is that what sustenance will they give you? You yourselves place offerings and vows before them; if you wish, you can place sustenance before them, if you wish, you can take it away, and if you wish, you can rub it on them. Therefore, do not attribute such false beliefs to them, and if you want to ask for sustenance, ask from Allah, and praise the One whose sustenance you eat, worship Him alone, and be grateful to Him alone. (Kilani) Shah Abdul Qadir writes: “Most people give up faith for the sake of sustenance, so know that no one gives sustenance except Allah, according to His will.” (Mawdhih)

➍ { اِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُوْنَ :} That is, ultimately you have to return to Allah, and your end is in His hands; you do not have to return to these idols, nor is your end in their hands, so you should worship the One who can improve your fate and ask sustenance from Him alone.