Quran Universe
21:23

لَا يُسۡـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفۡعَلُ وَهُمۡ يُسۡـَٔلُونَ

La yusalu AAamma yafAAalu wahum yusaloona

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

Word by word
  1. لَاNot
  2. يُسۡـَٔلُHe (can) be questioned
  3. عَمَّاabout what
  4. يَفۡعَلُHe does
  5. وَهُمۡbut they
  6. يُسۡـَٔلُونَwill be questioned
Al-Anbya · 21:23Makkah

He is not questioned for what He does. We will be.

The difference between the Lord and those He made

Two directions
Allahnot questionedwise, just
asks
His creationwill be questioned
Where my questions go
Allah owes me reasons
I owe answersfor what I did

No one can overturn or object to Allah's rule, the tafsir says, because of His might, knowledge, wisdom, justice and subtlety. But He is the One who will ask His creation about what they did.

Something hard happens: a job lost, a test result. You spend nights demanding why. Asking Allah in dua is good. Putting Him on trial while ignoring your own account is the reverse of how it works.

Allah owes me an explanation for what happens to me.

His wisdom is beyond question. My own deeds are what I will answer for.

Try this

Turn one why me into a dua today: O Allah, help me through this.

Related15:9223:88
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 21:21)

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 آلِهَةٌ

(Had there been therein gods) means, in the heavens and the earth,

لَفَسَدَتَا

(then verily, both would have been ruined.) This is like the Ayah:

مَا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ مِن وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ ۚ إِذًا لَّذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَٰهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۚ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

(No son did Allah beget, nor is there any god along with Him. Then each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to overcome others! Glorified be Allah above all that they attribute to Him!)[23:91]. And Allah says here:

فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

(Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, above all that they associate with Him!) meaning, glorified be He above what they say about Him having offspring or partners; glorified and exalted and sanctified be He far above all the lies that they fabricate.

لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ

(He cannot be questioned about what He does, while they will be questioned.) He is the Ruler Whose rule cannot be overturned and none can object to it, because of His might, majesty, pride, knowledge, wisdom, justice and subtlety.

وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ

(while they will be questioned.) means, He is the One Who will ask His creation about what they did. This is like the Ayah:

فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ - عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

(So, by your Lord, We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do.)(15:92-93)

وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ

(And He protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector)(23:88)