سُوْرَةُ الشُّوْرٰي
Surah Ash-Shura (42) — Ayah 21
أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَـٰٓؤُا۟ شَرَعُوا۟ لَهُم مِّنَ ٱلدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَنۢ بِهِ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةُ ٱلْفَصْلِ لَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿21﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Or have they partners with Allâh (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allâh has not ordained? And had it not been for a decisive Word (gone forth already), the matter would have been judged between them. And verily, for the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) there is a painful torment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَمْ
am
Or
لَهُمْ
lahum
for them
شُرَكَـٰٓؤُا۟
shurakāu
(are) partners
شَرَعُوا۟
sharaʿū
who have ordained
لَهُم
lahum
for them
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلدِّينِ
l-dīni
the religion
مَا
mā
what
لَمْ
lam
not
يَأْذَنۢ
yadhan
Allah has given permission of it
بِهِ
bihi
Allah has given permission of it
ٱللَّهُ ۚ
l-lahu
Allah has given permission of it
وَلَوْلَا
walawlā
And if not
كَلِمَةُ
kalimatu
(for) a word
ٱلْفَصْلِ
l-faṣli
decisive
لَقُضِىَ
laquḍiya
surely, it (would have) been judged
بَيْنَهُمْ ۗ
baynahum
between them
وَإِنَّ
wa-inna
And indeed
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
l-ẓālimīna
the wrongdoers
لَهُمْ
lahum
for them
عَذَابٌ
ʿadhābun
(is a) punishment
أَلِيمٌۭ
alīmun
painful
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.
Do they have partners who have prescribed for them a religion which Allah has not permitted [32]? And if it were not for a decisive word, their matter would have been judged. Surely, for the wrongdoers [33] there is a painful punishment.
[32]
Whose Authority Prevails Against Allah?
It is obvious that here, the partners cannot mean stone idols, because they can neither hear nor speak; how could they give any law or code to anyone? Inevitably, by this is meant a person or a group of people who have established their own law in opposition to Allah’s Shari’ah, who have taken the authority of declaring things lawful and unlawful into their own hands, or who present codes of life, philosophies, or systems to people that are against Allah’s Shari’ah, and then implement and enforce them among the people. Such people can be members of parliament or assemblies, self-willed rulers, caretakers and custodians of shrines and tombs, or misguided philosophers and writers. These are the ones who are called Taghut.
[33] That is, Allah deals with such rebels with forgiveness and forbearance and does not destroy them immediately. The reason for this is clear: Allah does not want to turn the free will given to humans into compulsion. He wants to test every human in this world by giving them free will. However, when this period of free will comes to an end and they depart from this world, then such wrongdoers will be given a painful punishment for all their deeds.
[32]
Whose Authority Prevails Against Allah?
It is obvious that here, the partners cannot mean stone idols, because they can neither hear nor speak; how could they give any law or code to anyone? Inevitably, by this is meant a person or a group of people who have established their own law in opposition to Allah’s Shari’ah, who have taken the authority of declaring things lawful and unlawful into their own hands, or who present codes of life, philosophies, or systems to people that are against Allah’s Shari’ah, and then implement and enforce them among the people. Such people can be members of parliament or assemblies, self-willed rulers, caretakers and custodians of shrines and tombs, or misguided philosophers and writers. These are the ones who are called Taghut.
[33] That is, Allah deals with such rebels with forgiveness and forbearance and does not destroy them immediately. The reason for this is clear: Allah does not want to turn the free will given to humans into compulsion. He wants to test every human in this world by giving them free will. However, when this period of free will comes to an end and they depart from this world, then such wrongdoers will be given a painful punishment for all their deeds.
