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 )
"You indeed worship idols [34] besides Allah and you fabricate a pure lie [35]. Indeed, those whom you worship besides Allah have no power to provide for you [36], then seek your provision from Allah [37] and worship Him and be grateful to Him [38]. To Him you shall return."
The people of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) were involved in worshipping Namrood, his images, idols made in his name, as well as celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars.
It’s important to distinguish between "Sanam"—an idol carved in human form from materials such as wood, stone, or metal—and "Wathan", a general term for any type of idol or image, whether human-shaped or not, even including mere photographs. (Tafseer Roohul Bayaan)
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) exposes their act as a clear fabrication, declaring that they were creating their own idols and then falsely associating them with Allah.
Here, the word "takhtoon" signifies inventing or fabricating a lie, while "khalaqa" in similar contexts may also refer to making something by hand, especially in the sense of manmade falsehoods.
He argues that their idols have no control over provision, neither in belief nor in reality. Even the idolaters did not claim their false gods were creators or sustainers, but rather mediators.
Yet, even assigning a share of divine power—such as provision or protection—to anyone besides Allah constitutes shirk (polytheism). Recognizing someone as a servant of Allah while attributing divine traits to them is equally condemned.
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) guides them to seek sustenance directly from Allah, which implies embracing faith, obedience, and devotion to Him.
This shows that true provision—both spiritual and worldly—is attained through faith and worship, and not through intermediaries.
Though gratitude to worldly benefactors is encouraged, true and exclusive gratitude belongs to Allah, as seen in the verse:
“Give thanks to Me and to your parents” (Surah Luqman, 31:14).
However, worship, unlike gratitude, can only be directed to Allah. Worship is a pure act, with no room for metaphor or outward substitution—it belongs solely to the Creator, without exception.
The verse ends by reminding them of their return to Allah, where the truth of their actions will be fully exposed.
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.
(29:17) Those that you worship instead of Allah are merely idols, and you are simply inventing lies (about them).[28] Indeed those whom you worship beside Allah have no power to provide you with any sustenance. So seek your sustenance from Allah and serve only Him and give thanks to Him alone. It is to Him that you will be sent back.[29]
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.”
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 idols”, 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 falsehood”, 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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