Transliteration:( Innamaa ta'budoona min doonil laahi awsaananw-wa takhluqoona ifkaa; innal lazeena ta'budoona min doonil laahi laa yamlikoona lakum rizqan fabtaghoo 'indal laahir rizqa wa'budoohu washkuroo lahooo ilaihi turja'oon )
34.These people were worshipping Namrood, his photos. idols made in his name, stars, moon and the sun. It should be remembered that SANAM is that idol which is carved in human form from wood. stones and minerals like gold, silver. iron, etc while WATHAN is a general term both in human shape or in any other form. whether just a statue or a mere photograph (Tafseer Rohul Bayan)Â
35.This means you are worshipping idols made from your own hands and making them partners of Allah Almighty. From this verse we learn that the word KHALAQA denotes to make of fabricate. Here the word TAKHTOON, too, denotes to fabricate, to make.
36. In your beliefs as well, because these people were not accepting these idols as creators and sustainers, but worshipping them as their mediators only. Therefore, they did not reply to Hazrat Ebrahim (On whom be peace) that these were the lords of their sustenance. From this we learn that to accept someone as the servant of Allah Almighty, but make him in some ways to be equal to Allah Almighty, too, is an act of polytheism. To glean full details about polytheism refer to the book ILMUL QURAN - The Knowledge of Quran.
37. By declaring faith in Him, and obeying and worshipping Him. This teaches us that faith and worship are blessings and a means of obtaining bounty in one's sustenance.
38. It should be remembered that true thanks is for Allah Almighty, while worldly thanks for other benefactors. Says Allah Almighty "That give thanks to Me and to your parents" (S31:V14). But worship cannot be for anyone besides Allah Almighty, because worship is a true act and there can be no room metaphorical deity. for an outward appearance in it. Thus, besides Allah Almighty there is no apparent or original worship.
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The tafsir of Surah Ankabut verse 17 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Ankabut ayat 16 which provides the complete commentary from verse 16 through 18.
28. That is, “You are not forging idols but a lie. These idols are in themselves a lie. Then your beliefs that they are gods and goddesses, or they are incarnation of God, or His offspring, or His favorites, or intercessors with Him, or that someone of them is bestower of health, or giver of children or jobs, are all lies, which you have invented from your own whims and conjecture. The fact is that they are in no way more than idols, lifeless, powerless and impotent.â€
29. In these few sentences the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) has put together all rational arguments against idol worship. There must necessarily be some reason for making somebody or something a deity. One such reason can be that somebody should be entitled to being a deity due to some personal excellence. Another, that he should be the creator of man, and man should be indebted to him for his existence. Third, that he should be responsible for man’s sustenance, his food and other means of life. Fourth, that man’s future should be linked up with his support and bounty, and man may be afraid that annoying him would mean bringing about his own ruin. The Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) said that none of these four things favored idol worship, but they all favored and demanded pure God worship. Saying that “You worship other than Allah only idolsâ€, he demolished the first argument, for a mere idol could have no excellence to entitle it to be a deity. Then, by saying that “And you invent a falsehoodâ€, he refuted the second argument, and “They have no power to give you provision†destroyed the third reason. Lastly, he said, “To Him you will be brought back†and not to the idols; therefore, it was not in their power to make or mar your destiny, but in the power of God alone. Thus, after a complete refutation of shirk, the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) made it clear to them that all the reasons for which man could regard somebody as a deity only applied to Allah, Who alone should be worshiped without associating anyone else with him.
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