سُوْرَةُ الصَّافَّاتِ
Surah As-Saaffaat (37) — Ayah 125
أَتَدْعُونَ بَعْلًا وَتَذَرُونَ أَحْسَنَ ٱلْخَـٰلِقِينَ ﴿125﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
"Will you call upon Ba‘l (a well known idol of his nation whom they used to worship) and forsake the Best of creators,
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَتَدْعُونَ
atadʿūna
Do you call
بَعْلًۭا
baʿlan
Baal
وَتَذَرُونَ
watadharūna
and you forsake
أَحْسَنَ
aḥsana
(the) Best
ٱلْخَـٰلِقِينَ
l-khāliqīna
(of) Creators
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.
125. Do you call upon Baal [72] and leave the Best of Creators [73]?
[72]
The Center of Propagation of Sayyiduna Ilyas and the Worship of Baal:
Sayyiduna Ilyas (peace be upon him) was from the descendants of Sayyiduna Harunؑ. His era of prophethood was the ninth century BCE. His center of propagation was a city called Baalbek, which was located in Syria. His people were worshippers of an idol named Baal, and this Baal was their deity. The literal meaning of Baal is owner, master, chief, and husband, and in the Quran, the word Baal has been used in several places in the meaning of husband. However, in ancient times, the Semitic nations used this word in the sense of deity or lord. These people had named a particular deity as Baal (i.e., the chief of other deities or gods). From Babylon to Egypt, Baal worship was widespread throughout the Middle East. When the Children of Israel, after being saved from Pharaoh, settled in Palestine and intermarried with these people, this disease also spread among them. An altar in the name of Baal was also built, upon which sacrifices were offered. Not only the common people, but even the Israelite state of Palestine became involved in Baal worship.
[73] That is, besides Allah, there can be other creators as well. For example, a human being, by mixing and combining flour, ghee, and sugar, brings various kinds of sweets into existence, and by discovering the properties of matter, brings about all sorts of new inventions. Similarly, an author, by keeping several books or writings before him, brings a new book into existence. All these are creative feats. But all these feats are such that their material already exists. The creation of Allah Almighty is neither dependent on matter nor on its properties, because He Himself is the One who creates properties in matter. Then, His creative feats are beyond the capacity of man in that He breathes spirit and prepares living, growing things. Furthermore, His creative feats are such that not only can man not make them, but man cannot even comprehend them. For example, the internal structure of a human being, the functions of his organs and limbs, and the powers that have been placed within man—just take the light of the eye: what is it, how is it produced, and if it is lost, can even the greatest doctor restore it? Now, the answer to all these questions is in the negative. Therefore, ﴿احسن الخالقين﴾ can only be the Being of Allah.
[72]
The Center of Propagation of Sayyiduna Ilyas and the Worship of Baal:
Sayyiduna Ilyas (peace be upon him) was from the descendants of Sayyiduna Harunؑ. His era of prophethood was the ninth century BCE. His center of propagation was a city called Baalbek, which was located in Syria. His people were worshippers of an idol named Baal, and this Baal was their deity. The literal meaning of Baal is owner, master, chief, and husband, and in the Quran, the word Baal has been used in several places in the meaning of husband. However, in ancient times, the Semitic nations used this word in the sense of deity or lord. These people had named a particular deity as Baal (i.e., the chief of other deities or gods). From Babylon to Egypt, Baal worship was widespread throughout the Middle East. When the Children of Israel, after being saved from Pharaoh, settled in Palestine and intermarried with these people, this disease also spread among them. An altar in the name of Baal was also built, upon which sacrifices were offered. Not only the common people, but even the Israelite state of Palestine became involved in Baal worship.
[73] That is, besides Allah, there can be other creators as well. For example, a human being, by mixing and combining flour, ghee, and sugar, brings various kinds of sweets into existence, and by discovering the properties of matter, brings about all sorts of new inventions. Similarly, an author, by keeping several books or writings before him, brings a new book into existence. All these are creative feats. But all these feats are such that their material already exists. The creation of Allah Almighty is neither dependent on matter nor on its properties, because He Himself is the One who creates properties in matter. Then, His creative feats are beyond the capacity of man in that He breathes spirit and prepares living, growing things. Furthermore, His creative feats are such that not only can man not make them, but man cannot even comprehend them. For example, the internal structure of a human being, the functions of his organs and limbs, and the powers that have been placed within man—just take the light of the eye: what is it, how is it produced, and if it is lost, can even the greatest doctor restore it? Now, the answer to all these questions is in the negative. Therefore, ﴿احسن الخالقين﴾ can only be the Being of Allah.
