ami ittakhadhū min dūnihi ālihatan qul hātū bur'hānakum hādhā dhik'ru man maʿiya wadhik'ru man qablī bal aktharuhum lā yaʿlamūna l-ḥaqa fahum muʿ'riḍūna
Translation
Or have they taken gods besides Him? Say, [O Muḥammad], "Produce your proof. This [Qur’ān] is the message for those with me and the message of those before me."881 But most of them do not know the truth, so they are turning away.
Notes
[881] All previous prophets called for the worship of Allāh alone.
Verse 24 of Surah Al-Anbya (21:24), a Meccan surah, is in juz 17, on page 323 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.
Listen to verse 24 of Surah Al-Anbya
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Tafsir of verse 24
Al-Mukhtasar
But they took other gods besides Allah. Say, O Messenger, to these idolaters: “Bring your proof for their being worthy of worship. This book which has been revealed to me and the books revealed upon the messengers contain no proof for you”. But rather most of the idolaters only take support from ignorance and blind following, so they turn away from accepting the truth.
Or have they taken other gods besides Him? Say, “Bring your proof. Here is the Book of those who are with me, and the Book of those who came before me12.” Yet most of them do not know the truth, so they turn away.
Notes
[12] The Prophet (ﷺ) is addressed to challenge the pagans to produce their proof for the existence of other gods; whereas, the Qur’an, the Torah, and the Gospel are in agreement that there is no god but Allah alone.
Or have they taken for worship (other) âlihah (gods) besides Him? Say: "Bring your proof." This (the Qur’ân) is the Reminder for those with me and the Reminder for those before me. But most of them know not the Truth, so they are averse.
Or have they chosen other gods beside Him? say: Bring your proof (of their godhead). This is the Reminder of those with me and those before me, but most of them know not the Truth and so they are averse.
Or have they taken for worship (other) gods besides him? Say, "Bring your convincing proof: this is the Message of those with me and the Message of those before me." But most of them know not the Truth, and so turn away.
Or, have they taken gods besides Him? Say: Bring your proof; this is the reminder of those with me and the reminder of those before me. Nay! most of them do not know the truth, so they turn aside.
Or even have they taken to themselves gods apart from Him? Say, "Offer your proof! This is the Remembrance of whomever are with me, and the Remembrance of whomever were before me." No indeed, most of them do not know the Truth, so they are veering away.
And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allāh and avoid ṭāghūt." And among them were those whom Allāh guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed [i.e., travel] through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers.
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
And if you asked them, "Who created the heavens and earth?" they would surely say, "Allāh." Say, "[All] praise is [due] to Allāh"; but most of them do not know.
Or have they taken protectors [or allies] besides Him? But Allāh - He is the Protector, and He gives life to the dead, and He is over all things competent.
And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse - and Allāh is most knowing of what He sends down - they say, "You, [O Muḥammad], are but an inventor [of lies]." But most of them do not know.
These, our people, have taken besides Him deities. Why do they not bring for [worship of] them a clear evidence? And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh a lie?"
Allāh presents an example: a man [i.e., slave] owned by quarreling partners and another belonging exclusively to one man - are they equal in comparison? Praise be to Allāh! But most of them do not know.
Is He [not best] who made the earth a stable ground and placed within it rivers and made for it firmly set mountains and placed between the two seas a barrier? Is there a deity with Allāh? [No], but most of them do not know.
