Surah Anbiya ayat 43 Tafsir Quran 21:43

﴿أَمْ لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُم مِّن دُونِنَا ۚ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُم مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ﴾
[ الأنبياء: 43]

21:43 Or do they have gods to defend them other than Us? They are unable [even] to help themselves, nor can they be protected from Us.

Or is it that they have am ‘or’ functions with the sense of a hamza used to indicate denial that is read it as a-lahum ‘do they have’ gods to defend them against that which might cause them harm besides Us? In other words do they have anyone other than Us to defend them against such things? No! They namely the gods cannot help themselves and so they will not be able to help them; nor shall they the disbelievers be protected from Us from Our chastisement one may say sahibaka’Llāhu to mean ‘May God preserve and protect you’.

Or have they gods, besides Him, who can defend them! They -the gods- are themselves unable to hold their own nor can they defend themselves, let alone defending others should We decide that they perish

The Lessons to be learned from Those Who mocked the Messengers in the Past Allah says consoling His Messenger for the pain and insult caused by the mockery and disbelief of the idolators, وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِىءَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُواْ مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( Indeed (many ) Messengers were mocked before you, but the scoffers were surrounded by what they used to mock.) meaning, the punishment which they thought would never come to pass.
This is like the Ayah: وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُواْ عَلَى مَا كُذِّبُواْ وَأُوذُواْ حَتَّى أَتَـهُمْ نَصْرُنَا وَلاَ مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـتِ اللَّهِ وَلَقدْ جَآءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ( Verily, Messengers were denied before you, but with patience they bore the denial, and they were hurt; till Our help reached them, and none can alter the Words of Allah.
Surely, there has reached you the information (news ) about the Messengers ( before you )) 6:34.
Then Allah menitons His favor for His creatures; He protects them by night and by day, taking care of them and watching over them with His Eye that never sleeps. قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِالَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَـنِ ( Say: "Who can guard and protect you in the night or in the day from the Most Gracious" ) means, other than the Most Gracious Himself بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِمْ مُّعْرِضُونَ ( Nay, but they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord. ) means, they do not recognize the blessings and favor of Allah towards them; they turn away from His signs and blessings. أَمْ لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُمْ مِّن دُونِنَا ( Or have they gods who can guard them from Us ) This is a rhetorical question aimed at denouncing and rebuking.
The meaning is, do they have any gods who can protect them and take care of them other than Us It is not as they imagine or as they claim.
Allah says: لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ ( They have no power to help themselves, ) these gods on whom they rely instead of Allah cannot even help themselves. وَلاَ هُمْ مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ ( nor can they be protected from Us. ) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas,"Nor can they be guarded from Us."

The Lessons to be learned from Those Who mocked the Messengers in the Past Allah says consoling His Messenger for the pain and insult caused by the mockery and disbelief of the idolators, وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِىءَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُواْ مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( Indeed (many ) Messengers were mocked before you, but the scoffers were surrounded by what they used to mock.) meaning, the punishment which they thought would never come to pass.
This is like the Ayah: وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُواْ عَلَى مَا كُذِّبُواْ وَأُوذُواْ حَتَّى أَتَـهُمْ نَصْرُنَا وَلاَ مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـتِ اللَّهِ وَلَقدْ جَآءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ( Verily, Messengers were denied before you, but with patience they bore the denial, and they were hurt; till Our help reached them, and none can alter the Words of Allah.
Surely, there has reached you the information (news ) about the Messengers ( before you )) 6:34.
Then Allah menitons His favor for His creatures; He protects them by night and by day, taking care of them and watching over them with His Eye that never sleeps. قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِالَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَـنِ ( Say: "Who can guard and protect you in the night or in the day from the Most Gracious" ) means, other than the Most Gracious Himself بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِمْ مُّعْرِضُونَ ( Nay, but they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord. ) means, they do not recognize the blessings and favor of Allah towards them; they turn away from His signs and blessings. أَمْ لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُمْ مِّن دُونِنَا ( Or have they gods who can guard them from Us ) This is a rhetorical question aimed at denouncing and rebuking.
The meaning is, do they have any gods who can protect them and take care of them other than Us It is not as they imagine or as they claim.
Allah says: لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ ( They have no power to help themselves, ) these gods on whom they rely instead of Allah cannot even help themselves. وَلاَ هُمْ مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ ( nor can they be protected from Us. ) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas,"Nor can they be guarded from Us."

( Or have they gods ) or do they have deities ( who can shield them from Us ) from Our chastisement? ( They cannot help themselves ) they, these gods, cannot drive away chastisement from themselves, so how can they drive it away from others? ( nor can they be defended from Us ) nor are they going to receive immunity from Our chastisement, so how can they give immunity to others?

Or have they aliha (gods) who can guard them from Us? They have no power to help themselves, nor can they be protected from Us (i.e. from Our Torment).

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