22:3

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُجَٰدِلُ فِي ٱللَّهِ بِغَيۡرِ عِلۡمٖ وَيَتَّبِعُ كُلَّ شَيۡطَٰنٖ مَّرِيدٖ

Wamina alnnasi man yujadilu fee Allahi bighayri AAilmin wayattabiAAu kulla shaytanin mareedin

And of the people is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge and follows every rebellious devil.

Word by word
  1. وَمِنَAnd among
  2. ٱلنَّاسِthe mankind
  3. مَن(is he) who
  4. يُجَٰدِلُdisputes
  5. فِيconcerning
  6. ٱللَّهِAllah
  7. بِغَيۡرِwithout
  8. عِلۡمٖknowledge
  9. وَيَتَّبِعُand follows
  10. كُلَّevery
  11. شَيۡطَٰنٖdevil
  12. مَّرِيدٖrebellious
Al-Hajj · 22:3Madinah

Arguing about Allah with nothing but noise.

Debate without knowledge, and who you end up following


The arguer
a persondisputes about Allah
no knowledgeopinion and whim
ends up following
every rebellious devilamong men and jinn
Who is leading
I think for myselfno one leads me
following every voicewithout knowledge, you get led

Ibn Kathir says this describes people who denied the Resurrection and argued about Allah without sound knowledge. One report names An-Nadr bin Al-Harith, a Makkan who argued against the message. Their arguing felt like independence, but they were following whoever pushed them.

A clip in your feed mocks faith in thirty seconds. The comments pile on. You feel a pull to argue back, or to agree, before you have read a single page. Strong opinions with no study are an open door for whoever speaks loudest.

I have heard enough to have a firm opinion on this.

An opinion without knowledge is just an invitation for someone else to steer me.

Try this

Before sharing a view on a faith question today, look up one reliable source first.

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

And among mankind is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge, and follows every rebellious Shaytan (3)For him (the devil) it is decreed that whosoever follows him, he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire (4)

Condemnation of the Followers of the Shaytan

Allah condemns those who deny the Resurrection and who deny that Allah is able to restore life to the dead, those who turn away from that which Allah has revealed to His Prophets and, in their views – denial and disbelief – follow every rebellious Shaytan among men and Jinn. This is the state of the followers of innovation and misguidance, who turn away from the truth and follow falsehood, following the words of the leaders of misguidance who call people to follow innovation and their own desires and opinions. Allah says concerning them and their like,

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ

(And among mankind is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge,) meaning, without sound knowledge.

وَيَتَّبِعُ كُلَّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّرِيدٍ - كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ

(and follows every rebellious Shaytan. For him it is decreed.) Mujahid said, "This refers to that Shaytan." meaning that is a matter written in the decree.

أَنَّهُ مَن تَوَلَّاهُ

(that whosoever follows him,) and imitates him,

فَأَنَّهُ يُضِلُّهُ وَيَهْدِيهِ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ

(he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire.) means, he will mislead him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will drive him to the torment of the Fire, which is unbearably hot, painful and agonizing. As-Suddi reported that Abu Malik said, "This Ayah was revealed about An-Nadr bin Al-Harith. This was also the view of Ibn Jurayj.