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سُورَةُ الأَنبِيَاءِ · 21:23
MeccanRevelation order ٧٣Juzʾ ١٧Page ٣٢٣

لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَٔلُونَ

٢٣
Saheeh International · EN

He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.

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Introduction

This is āyah 23 of Sūrat Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets), the 73rd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 17. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

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Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
73 of 114
Surah
Al-Anbiyaa (21)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned. This is a rejection of the free-willers and a right guidance for the Sunnis. The free-willers say, “If we turn over all the newly arrived things to God, He would be defective.” They say, “Evil is from us and good from Him.” In the same way, the Zoroastrians say that good is from Yazdān and evil from Ahrīman. “The free-willers are the Magi of this community.” A free-willer said to a Zoroastrian, “Become a Muslim.” He said, “As long as He does not want it, how can I become a Muslim?” The free-willer said, “He wants it, but Iblis does not.” The Zoroastrian said, “Then I will stay with the stronger antagonist. What will I do with the weak one?” As for the right guidance of the Sunnis, it is that the Real is the absolute owner and is able to act upon His possession as He wants. MuṣṬafā said, “Were He to chastise me and the son of Mary, He would chastise us without wronging us.” Fear a God who does whatever He wants while no one has the gall to protest! “Have shame before God because of His proximity to you, and fear God because of His power over you.” Know also that this a work that is over and done with. He has taken each to his own domicile and made his place apparent, and then He has brought him back to the beginning of the road of interaction. When the prophets came, they did not bring any new work into this world, nor did they place any new report in your breast. Rather, they put into motion what was in your breast and they called you to what had been deposited for you. We would not have been guided had God not guided us [7:43]. ʿAlī was asked about the measuring out. He said, “It is God's secret, so do not disclose it; it is a tremendous ocean, so do not importune it.” Human knowledge does not have the capacity to carry it. Man's understanding and imagination will never reach it. He does not know that the more he goes forward, the more he becomes bewildered. The more he exercises self-determination, the more he falls. What is the spirit next to Your face other than a meddler? What is intellect next to Your lips other than a fool? [DS 902]

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Or have they taken (for worship) gods from the earth who raise the dead (21)Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily, both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above all that (evil) they associate with Him (22)He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned (23) Refutation of false gods Allah denounces those who take other gods instead of Him: أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا آلِهَةً مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ (Or have they taken gods from the earth who raise the dead?) meaning, can they bring the dead back to life and bring them forth from the earth They cannot do any of that, so how can they make them rivals to Allah and worship them alongside Him? Then Allah tells us that if there were another god besides Him, the heavens and the earth would be ruined: لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَ…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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