Skip to content

Tafsir · Surah An-Nahl 16:20

16:19

وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ

And Allāh knows what you conceal and what you declare.

16:20

وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْـًٔا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ

And those they invoke other than Allāh create nothing, and they [themselves] are created.

16:21

أَمْوَٰتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَآءٍ ۖ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ

They are [in fact] dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir · English

This tafsir covers verses 16:19, 16:20, 16:21 together.

The gods of the Idolators are Created, they do not create

Then Allah tells us that the idols which people call on instead of Him cannot create anything, they are themselves created, as Al-Khalil (Ibrahim) said:

قَالَ أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ - وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

("Do you worship that which you (yourselves) carve While Allah has created you and what you make!") (37:-96).

أَمْوتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَآءٍ

((They are) dead, not alive) means, they are inanimate and lifeless, they do not hear, see, or think.

وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ

(and they know not when they will be resurrected.) meaning, they do not know when the Hour will come, so how can anyone hope for any benefit or reward from these idols They should hope for it from the One Who knows all things and is the Creator of all things.

16:19 16:21
Download surah audio