سُوْرَةُ الْفُرْقَانِ
Surah Al-Furqaan (25) — Ayah 18
قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنۢبَغِى لَنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ مِن دُونِكَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَآءَ وَلَـٰكِن مَّتَّعْتَهُمْ وَءَابَآءَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ نَسُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَكَانُوا۟ قَوْمًۢا بُورًا ﴿18﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They will say: "Glorified be You! It was not for us to take any Auliyâ’ (Protectors, Helpers) besides You, but You gave them and their fathers comfort till they forgot the warning, and became a lost people (doomed to total loss).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They say
سُبْحَـٰنَكَ
sub'ḥānaka
Glory be to You
مَا
mā
Not
كَانَ
kāna
it was proper
يَنۢبَغِى
yanbaghī
it was proper
لَنَآ
lanā
for us
أَن
an
that
نَّتَّخِذَ
nattakhidha
we take
مِن
min
besides You
دُونِكَ
dūnika
besides You
مِنْ
min
any
أَوْلِيَآءَ
awliyāa
protectors
وَلَـٰكِن
walākin
But
مَّتَّعْتَهُمْ
mattaʿtahum
You gave them comforts
وَءَابَآءَهُمْ
waābāahum
and their forefathers
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
until
نَسُوا۟
nasū
they forgot
ٱلذِّكْرَ
l-dhik'ra
the Message
وَكَانُوا۟
wakānū
and became
قَوْمًۢا
qawman
a people
بُورًۭا
būran
ruined
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.
18. They will say, "Glory be to You! It was not for us to take anyone besides You as a guardian [21], but You granted them and their forefathers comforts of life [22] until they forgot Your remembrance and became a people doomed to destruction."
[21]
The Reasons Why ﴿من دون الله﴾ Does Not Refer Only to Idols:
That is, He will gather together both the deities and their worshippers, all face to face. And Allah, the Exalted, will first address the deities and ask: "Did you tell My servants that we are your helpers in difficulties and fulfillers of needs? Therefore, present offerings to us. On the Day of Resurrection, we will have you forgiven by Allah." Or did these worshippers and your devotees themselves invent such beliefs? In response to this question, the deities will say: "O Allah! We ourselves always considered You alone as our helper in difficulties and fulfiller of needs. We always presented our needs before You. We bowed and offered vows and offerings only to You. We considered You alone as our caretaker. So how could we possibly tell them to abandon Allah and make us or anyone else their caretaker?" From this question and answer, it becomes clear that here, the deities do not refer to idols, because it is meaningless for a lifeless thing to take Allah as a caretaker. Such questions and answers will also be put by Allah to Isa (Jesus) ؑ, whom the Christians have made their deity. [سوره مائده آيت نمبر 116 تا 118]
Similarly, further ahead in Surah Saba, verses 41 and 42, it is mentioned that such questions and answers will also be with the angels who were worshipped. As for the point that generally the word "ma" is used for non-intelligent beings and "man" for intelligent beings, this is not an absolute rule without exception; "ma" can also be used for intelligent beings, as in: ﴿إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُم﴾ [23: 6] and it can also be used in an interrogative sense, such as "ma Zaid" meaning "What is Zaid?" (Munajjid)
[22]
The Dialogue and Mutual Accusation Between the Obedient and the Obeyed on the Day of Resurrection:
After expressing their disassociation, the deities will say that the real reason for their misguidance is that these wretched people themselves wanted to be misguided and destroyed, the apparent cause of which was that You granted them and their forefathers comfort and luxury. These people, engrossed in this luxury and intoxicated by heedlessness, became indifferent to Your remembrance. They paid no heed to any advice. They closed their eyes to the guidance of the prophets. The more kindness You showed them, the more ungrateful they proved to be. What should have happened was that they expressed gratitude for these blessings, but instead, they became arrogant and persisted in disbelief and rebellion.
[21]
The Reasons Why ﴿من دون الله﴾ Does Not Refer Only to Idols:
That is, He will gather together both the deities and their worshippers, all face to face. And Allah, the Exalted, will first address the deities and ask: "Did you tell My servants that we are your helpers in difficulties and fulfillers of needs? Therefore, present offerings to us. On the Day of Resurrection, we will have you forgiven by Allah." Or did these worshippers and your devotees themselves invent such beliefs? In response to this question, the deities will say: "O Allah! We ourselves always considered You alone as our helper in difficulties and fulfiller of needs. We always presented our needs before You. We bowed and offered vows and offerings only to You. We considered You alone as our caretaker. So how could we possibly tell them to abandon Allah and make us or anyone else their caretaker?" From this question and answer, it becomes clear that here, the deities do not refer to idols, because it is meaningless for a lifeless thing to take Allah as a caretaker. Such questions and answers will also be put by Allah to Isa (Jesus) ؑ, whom the Christians have made their deity. [سوره مائده آيت نمبر 116 تا 118]
Similarly, further ahead in Surah Saba, verses 41 and 42, it is mentioned that such questions and answers will also be with the angels who were worshipped. As for the point that generally the word "ma" is used for non-intelligent beings and "man" for intelligent beings, this is not an absolute rule without exception; "ma" can also be used for intelligent beings, as in: ﴿إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُم﴾ [23: 6] and it can also be used in an interrogative sense, such as "ma Zaid" meaning "What is Zaid?" (Munajjid)
[22]
The Dialogue and Mutual Accusation Between the Obedient and the Obeyed on the Day of Resurrection:
After expressing their disassociation, the deities will say that the real reason for their misguidance is that these wretched people themselves wanted to be misguided and destroyed, the apparent cause of which was that You granted them and their forefathers comfort and luxury. These people, engrossed in this luxury and intoxicated by heedlessness, became indifferent to Your remembrance. They paid no heed to any advice. They closed their eyes to the guidance of the prophets. The more kindness You showed them, the more ungrateful they proved to be. What should have happened was that they expressed gratitude for these blessings, but instead, they became arrogant and persisted in disbelief and rebellion.
