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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Baqarah 2:21-24 [3/40] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُO mankind!
ٱعْبُدُواْworship
رَبَّكُمُyour Lord,
ٱلَّذِىthe One Who
خَلَقَكُمْcreated you
وَٱلَّذِينَand those [who]
مِن قَبْلِكُمْbefore you,
لَعَلَّكُمْso that you may
تَتَّقُونَbecome righteous.
﴿٢١﴾
ٱلَّذِىThe One Who
جَعَلَmade
لَكُمُfor you
ٱلْأَرْضَthe earth
فِرَٲشًاa resting place
وَٱلسَّمَآءَand the sky
بِنَآءًa canopy,
وَأَنزَلَand sent down
مِنَfrom
ٱلسَّمَآءِthe sky
مَآءًwater,
فَأَخْرَجَthen brought forth
بِهِۦtherewith
مِنَ[of]
ٱلثَّمَرَٲتِthe fruits
رِزْقًا(as) provision
لَّكُمْ‌ۖfor you.
فَلَاSo (do) not
تَجْعَلُواْset up
لِلَّهِto Allah
أَندَادًاrivals
وَأَنتُمْwhile you
تَعْلَمُونَ[you] know.
﴿٢٢﴾
وَإِنAnd if
كُنتُمْyou are
فِىin
رَيْبٍdoubt
مِّمَّاabout what
نَزَّلْنَاWe have revealed
عَلَىٰto
عَبْدِنَاOur slave,
فَأْتُواْthen produce
بِسُورَةٍa chapter
مِّن[of]
مِّثْلِهِۦlike it
وَٱدْعُواْand call
شُهَدَآءَكُمyour witnesses
مِّن دُونِother than
ٱللَّهِAllah
إِنif
كُنتُمْyou are
صَـٰدِقِينَtruthful.
﴿٢٣﴾
فَإِنBut if
لَّمْnot
تَفْعَلُواْyou do,
وَلَنand never
تَفْعَلُواْwill you do,
فَٱتَّقُواْthen fear
ٱلنَّارَthe Fire
ٱلَّتِىwhose
وَقُودُهَا[its] fuel
ٱلنَّاسُ(is) [the] men
وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ‌ۖand [the] stones,
أُعِدَّتْprepared
لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَfor the disbelievers.
﴿٢٤﴾

يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعۡبُدُوۡا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ وَالَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَ ۙ‏  الَّذِىۡ جَعَلَ لَـكُمُ الۡاَرۡضَ فِرَاشًا وَّالسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَّاَنۡزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَاَخۡرَجَ بِهٖ مِنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ رِزۡقًا لَّـكُمۡ​ۚ فَلَا تَجۡعَلُوۡا لِلّٰهِ اَنۡدَادًا وَّاَنۡـتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ‏  وَاِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ فِىۡ رَيۡبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلۡنَا عَلٰى عَبۡدِنَا فَاۡتُوۡا بِسُوۡرَةٍ مِّنۡ مِّثۡلِهٖ وَادۡعُوۡا شُهَدَآءَكُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِيۡنَ‏   فَاِنۡ لَّمۡ تَفۡعَلُوۡا وَلَنۡ تَفۡعَلُوۡا فَاتَّقُوۡا النَّارَ الَّتِىۡ وَقُوۡدُهَا النَّاسُ وَالۡحِجَارَةُ  ۖۚ اُعِدَّتۡ لِلۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ‏ 
Translation
(2:21) O mankind,21 serve your Lord Who has created you as well as those before you; do so that you are saved.22 (2:22) It is He Who has made the earth a resting-place for you, and the sky a canopy, and sent down water from above wherewith He brought forth fruits for your sustenance. Do not, then, set up rivals23 to Allah when you know (the Truth). (2:23) If you are in any doubt whether it is We Who have revealed this Book to Our servant, then produce just a surah like it, and call all your supporters and seek in it the support of all others save Allah. Accomplish this if you are truthful.24 (2:24) But if you fail to do this – and you will most certainly fail – then have fear of the Fire whose fuel is men and stones25 and which has been prepared for those who deny the Truth.
Commentary

21. Even though the message of the Qur'an is addressed to all, benefiting from it depends on ones willingness and on God's succour in relation to that willingness. This is why the Qur'an first explained which kind of people can and which kind of people cannot benefit from the Qur'an. As this has been explained in the foregoing verses, the quintessence of the message to which the Qur'an invites all mankind is now put forth.

22. So that you are saved from false beliefs and unrighteous conduct in this life, and from the punishment of God in the Next.

23. That is, when man recognizes that all those things were done by none but God, then worship, devotion and service must be exclusively for Him. For who besides the Creator can legitimately claim these things from man?

Not to set up others as rivals to Allah means not to make anyone other than God the object of worship, service and obedience that one owes to God alone. Later on we shall see, in some detail, how the Qur'an itself specifies the forms of worship and service which we owe exclusively to God, and wherein associating anyone else amounts to shirk (associating others with God in His divinity). This, the Qur'an seeks to eradicate.

24. Before this, in Makka, opponents had often been challenged to produce anything of comparable merit if they believed the Qur'an to be the work of a human being. In Madina the same challenge was reiterated. (For similar challenges made elsewhere in the Qur'an, see (10: 38); (11: 13); (17: 88) and (52: 33)

25. This suggests, in a subtle manner, that in the Next Life not only will the unbelievers become the fuel of hell-fire, but that the same fate will befall the idol-stones they worshipped and before which they had prostrated themselves. They will then know, for sure, how far their idols had any share in godhead.