6:71

قُلۡ أَنَدۡعُواْ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُنَا وَلَا يَضُرُّنَا وَنُرَدُّ عَلَىٰٓ أَعۡقَابِنَا بَعۡدَ إِذۡ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ كَٱلَّذِي ٱسۡتَهۡوَتۡهُ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ حَيۡرَانَ لَهُۥٓ أَصۡحَٰبٞ يَدۡعُونَهُۥٓ إِلَى ٱلۡهُدَى ٱئۡتِنَاۗ قُلۡ إِنَّ هُدَى ٱللَّهِ هُوَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰۖ وَأُمِرۡنَا لِنُسۡلِمَ لِرَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

Qul anadAAoo min dooni Allahi ma la yanfaAAuna wala yadurruna wanuraddu AAala aAAqabina baAAda ith hadana Allahu kaallathee istahwathu alshshayateenu fee alardi hayrana lahu ashabun yadAAoonahu ila alhuda itina qul inna huda Allahi huwa alhuda waomirna linuslima lirabbi alAAalameena

Say, "Shall we invoke instead of Allah that which neither benefits us nor harms us and be turned back on our heels after Allah has guided us? [We would then be] like one whom the devils enticed [to wander] upon the earth confused, [while] he has companions inviting him to guidance, [calling], 'Come to us.' " Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance; and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.

Word by word
  1. قُلۡSay
  2. أَنَدۡعُواْShall we call
  3. مِنfrom
  4. دُونِbesides
  5. ٱللَّهِAllah
  6. مَاwhat
  7. لَاnot
  8. يَنفَعُنَاbenefits us
  9. وَلَاand not
  10. يَضُرُّنَاharms us
  11. وَنُرَدُّand we turn back
  12. عَلَىٰٓon
  13. أَعۡقَابِنَاour heels
  14. بَعۡدَafter
  15. إِذۡ[when]
  16. هَدَىٰنَا(has) guided us
  17. ٱللَّهُAllah
  18. كَٱلَّذِيLike the one
  19. ٱسۡتَهۡوَتۡهُwhom (has been) enticed
  20. ٱلشَّيَٰطِينُ(by) the Shaitaan
  21. فِيin
  22. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  23. حَيۡرَانَconfused
  24. لَهُۥٓhe has
  25. أَصۡحَٰبٞcompanions
  26. يَدۡعُونَهُۥٓwho call him
  27. إِلَىtowards
  28. ٱلۡهُدَىthe guidance
  29. ٱئۡتِنَاۗ'Come to us.'
  30. قُلۡSay
  31. إِنَّIndeed
  32. هُدَى(the) Guidance
  33. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  34. هُوَit
  35. ٱلۡهُدَىٰۖ(is) the Guidance
  36. وَأُمِرۡنَاand we have been commanded
  37. لِنُسۡلِمَthat we submit
  38. لِرَبِّto (the) Lord
  39. ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ(of) the worlds
Al-An'am · 6:71Makkah

Lost in the desert while friends call: come back to us.

Turning back after being guided


The parable
a travellerlost his way
devilslead him to wander
companionscome back, we are on the path
but
he refusesand keeps wandering
The only guidance
many paths, all fine
Allah's guidanceis the guidance

As-Suddi said some idolaters told Muslims to follow them and leave the Prophet's ﷺ religion. The answer: shall we turn on our heels after Allah guided us? He gave the parable of a man who lost the road while his companions called him back, and he would not come. Allah's guidance is the guidance.

You used to pray. Then new friends, a new city, a new job, and slowly you drifted. Your old friend still texts: come to the halaqa on Thursday. You keep saying next week. The ones calling you back are a mercy. Answer them.

I drifted a bit, but I can always find my own way back.

When I am drifting, the people calling me back are Allah's mercy.

Try this

Reply to the person who keeps inviting you to something good. Say yes once.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Say: "Shall we invoke others besides Allah (false deities), that can do us neither good nor harm, and shall we turn on our heels after Allah has guided us? – Like one whom the Shayatin (devils) have made to go astray, confused (wandering) through the land, his companions calling him to guidance (saying): 'Come to us.'" Say: "Verily, Allah's guidance is the only guidance, and we have been commanded to submit (ourselves) to the Lord of all that exists (71)And to perform the Salah, and have Taqwa of Him, and it is He to Whom you shall be gathered (72)It is He Who has created the heavens and the earth in truth, and on the Day He will say: "Be!" it shall become. His Word is the truth. His will be the dominion on the Day when the Sur will be blown. All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is the All-Wise, Well-Aware (73)

The Parable of Those Who Revert to Disbelief After Faith and Good Deeds

As-Suddi said, "Some idolators said to some Muslims, 'Follow us and abandon the religion of Muhammad.' Allah sent down the revelation,

قُلْ أَنَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُنَا وَلَا يَضُرُّنَا وَنُرَدُّ عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِنَا

(Say: "Shall we invoke others besides Allah, that can do us neither good nor harm, and shall we turn on our heels...") by reverting to disbelief,

بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ

("...after Allah has guided us?") for if we do this, our example will be like he whom the devils have caused to wander in confusion throughout the land. Allah says here, your example, if you revert to disbelief after you believed, is that of a man who went with some people on a road, but he lost his way and the devils led him to wander in confusion over the land. Meanwhile, his companions on the road were calling him to come to them saying, 'Come back to us, for we are on the path.' But, he refused to go back to them. This is the example of he who follows the devil after recognizing Muhammad ﷺ, and Muhammad ﷺ is the person who is calling the people to the path, and the path is Islam." Ibn Jarir recorded this statement.Allah's statement,

كَالَّذِي اسْتَهْوَتْهُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فِي الْأَرْضِ

(Like one whom the Shayatin (devils) have made to go astray (wandering) through the land,) refers to ghouls,

يَدْعُونَهُ 

(calling him) by his name, his father's and his grandfather's names. So he follows the devils' call thinking that it is a path of guidance, but by the morning he will find himself destroyed and perhaps they eat him. The Jinns will then let him wander in a wasteland where he will die of thirst. This is the example of those who follow the false gods that are being worshipped instead of Allah, Most Honored. Ibn Jarir also recorded this. Allah said,

قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَىٰ

(Say: "Verily, Allah's guidance is the only guidance,") Allah said in other instances,

وَمَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِن مُّضِلٍّ

(And whomsoever Allah guides, for him there will be none to misguide him.)[39:37], and,

إِن تَحْرِصْ عَلَى هُدَاهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى مَن يُضِلُّ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِّن نَّـصِرِينَ

(If you covet for their guidance, then verily Allah guides not those whom He makes to go astray. And they will have no helpers.)[16:37] Allah's statement,

وَأُمِرْنَا لِنُسْلِمَ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

(and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of all that exists.) means, we were commanded to worship Allah in sincerity to Him alone, without partners.

وَأَنْ أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّقُوهُ

(And to perform the Salah, and have Taqwa of Him.) meaning, we were commanded to perform the prayer and to fear Allah in all circumstances,

وَهُوَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

(and it is He to Whom you shall be gathered.) on the Day of Resurrection.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ

(It is He Who has created the heavens and the earth in truth.) meaning, in justice, and He is their Originator and Owner Who governs their affairs and the affairs of their inhabitants. Allah said,

وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

(and on the Day He will say: "Be!" it shall become.) Referring to the Day of Resurrection, which will come faster than the blink of an eye, when Allah says to it, 'Be.'

As-Sur; The Trumpet

Allah's statement,

يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِي الصُّورِ

(on the Day when the Sur will be blown...) refers to His statement,

وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

(and on the Day He will say: "Be!" it shall become.) as we stated above. Or, it means,

وَلَهُ الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِي الصُّورِ

(His will be the dominion on the Day when the Sur will be blown.) Allah said in other Ayat,

لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ

(Whose is the kingdom this Day? It is Allah's, the One, the Irresistible!)[40:16], and,

الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ عَسِيرًا

(The sovereignty on that Day will be the true (sovereignty), belonging to the Most Beneficent (Allah), and it will be a hard Day for the disbelievers.)[25:26]

The Sur is the Trumpet into which the angel Israfil, peace be upon him, will blow. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ إِسْرَافِيلَ قَدِ الْتَقَمَ الصُّورَ، وَحَنَى جَبْهَتَهُ يَنْتَظِرُ مَتَى يُؤْمَر فَيَنْفُخُ

(Israfil has held the Sur in his mouth and lowered his forehead, awaiting the command to blow in it.)

Muslim recorded this Hadith in his Sahih. Imam Ahmad recorded that 'Abdullah bin 'Amr said, "A bedouin man said, 'O Allah's Messenger! What is the Sur?' He said,

قَرْنٌ يُنْفَخُ فِيهِ

(A Trumpet which will be blown.)"