سُوْرَةُ الصَّافَّاتِ
Surah As-Saaffaat (37) — Ayah 87
فَمَا ظَنُّكُم بِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ﴿87﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
"Then what think you about the Lord of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn, and all that exists)?"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَمَا
famā
Then what
ظَنُّكُم
ẓannukum
(do) you think
بِرَبِّ
birabbi
about (the) Lord
ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
l-ʿālamīna
(of) the worlds
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.
87. Then what is your thought about the Lord of all the worlds [49]?
[49]
The Star-Worshipping Nation of Sayyiduna Ibrahim:
The original homeland of Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ was the city of Babylon in Iraq. These people were star-worshippers. In particular, they were well-versed in the movements of the seven famous planets: the sun, the moon, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. Moreover, they firmly believed in the effects of these planets on human life. They had built separate temples for these planets, in which imaginary statues or idols of these planets were kept. They themselves would prepare horoscopes, and according to them, offerings and vows were presented before the idols of these planets to gain their pleasure. Through these horoscopes, they would learn about their future fate. Their belief in the effects of the stars was such that every person, even without preparing a horoscope, would plan his program by observing the movement of the planets. Such was the polytheism of the nation to which Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ was sent. When he, with a completely open and focused mind, surrendered himself to his Lord, Allah Almighty granted him prophethood. And Allah made clear to Sayyiduna Ibrahim the reality of His complete sovereignty and the utter powerlessness and helplessness of these planets and their idols.
The Beginning of the Call to Tawheed With His Father:
Thus, he began the call to tawheed from his own home. First of all, he made his father aware of this reality. He himself was the priest of the royal temple, an idol-carver, and an idol-seller. He became angry at this advice of his, so Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ turned his attention to his people. His question to his father and his people was: You make these idols with your own hands, and then you yourselves distribute divine powers among them, saying that if the spirit or idol of such-and-such planet is pleased with us, we will get more wealth and riches; if we worship such-and-such, we will gain knowledge; and if we please such-and-such, the harvest will be very good. You have distributed all these powers among them. Now tell me, the Being who created this universe and these planets and has control over them—have you left any power with Him or not? Has He now become completely powerless? After all, what do you think about Him?
[49]
The Star-Worshipping Nation of Sayyiduna Ibrahim:
The original homeland of Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ was the city of Babylon in Iraq. These people were star-worshippers. In particular, they were well-versed in the movements of the seven famous planets: the sun, the moon, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. Moreover, they firmly believed in the effects of these planets on human life. They had built separate temples for these planets, in which imaginary statues or idols of these planets were kept. They themselves would prepare horoscopes, and according to them, offerings and vows were presented before the idols of these planets to gain their pleasure. Through these horoscopes, they would learn about their future fate. Their belief in the effects of the stars was such that every person, even without preparing a horoscope, would plan his program by observing the movement of the planets. Such was the polytheism of the nation to which Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ was sent. When he, with a completely open and focused mind, surrendered himself to his Lord, Allah Almighty granted him prophethood. And Allah made clear to Sayyiduna Ibrahim the reality of His complete sovereignty and the utter powerlessness and helplessness of these planets and their idols.
The Beginning of the Call to Tawheed With His Father:
Thus, he began the call to tawheed from his own home. First of all, he made his father aware of this reality. He himself was the priest of the royal temple, an idol-carver, and an idol-seller. He became angry at this advice of his, so Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ turned his attention to his people. His question to his father and his people was: You make these idols with your own hands, and then you yourselves distribute divine powers among them, saying that if the spirit or idol of such-and-such planet is pleased with us, we will get more wealth and riches; if we worship such-and-such, we will gain knowledge; and if we please such-and-such, the harvest will be very good. You have distributed all these powers among them. Now tell me, the Being who created this universe and these planets and has control over them—have you left any power with Him or not? Has He now become completely powerless? After all, what do you think about Him?
