22:62

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ هُوَ ٱلۡبَٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيُّ ٱلۡكَبِيرُ

Thalika bianna Allaha huwa alhaqqu waanna ma yadAAoona min doonihi huwa albatilu waanna Allaha huwa alAAaliyyu alkabeeru

That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand.

Word by word
  1. ذَٰلِكَThat (is)
  2. بِأَنَّbecause
  3. ٱللَّهَAllah
  4. هُوَHe
  5. ٱلۡحَقُّ(is) the Truth
  6. وَأَنَّand that
  7. مَاwhat
  8. يَدۡعُونَthey invoke
  9. مِنbesides Him
  10. دُونِهِۦbesides Him
  11. هُوَit
  12. ٱلۡبَٰطِلُ(is) the falsehood
  13. وَأَنَّAnd that
  14. ٱللَّهَAllah
  15. هُوَHe
  16. ٱلۡعَلِيُّ(is) the Most High
  17. ٱلۡكَبِيرُthe Most Great
Al-Hajj · 22:62Madinah

He is the Truth; everything else they call on is false.

The Most High, the Grand


Two things
Allahthe Truth, the Most High
versus
what they invokefalsehood, powerless
What I call on
many helperseach has some power
the One Truthnone higher or greater

Ibn Kathir explains: He is the true God, whatever He wills happens, and everything is in need of Him. Everything worshipped instead of Him is false because it can neither benefit nor harm. None is higher or greater.

Late at night you refresh your bank app, your inbox, your ex's profile, as if one of them will rescue you. The verse calls all of these what they are: not the Truth. Turn to the Most High.

I need many things to hold my life together.

Only Allah is real help; the rest cannot benefit or harm on their own.

Try this

Before checking your phone first thing tomorrow, say a short prayer to Allah.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 22:61)

That is because Allah merges the night into the day, and He merges the day into the night. And verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer (61)That is because Allah – He is the Truth, and what they invoke besides Him, it is false. And verily, Allah – He is the Most High, the Most Great (62)

The Creator and Controller of this World is Allah

Allah tells us that He is the Creator Who directs the affairs of His creation as He wills. He tells us:

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ - تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ ۖ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ ۖ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

(Say: "O Allah! Possessor of the power, You give power to whom You will, and You take power from whom You will, and You endue with honor whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are able to do all things. You make the night to enter into the day, and You make the day to enter into the night, You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give wealth and sustenance to whom You will, without limit.)(3:26-27)

The meaning of "merging" the night into the day and the day into the night is that the one encroaches upon the other, and vice versa. Sometimes the night is long and the day is short, as in winter, and sometimes the day is long and the night is short, as in summer.

وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ

(And verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer.) He hears what His servants say, and He sees them, nothing about them or their movement is hidden from Him whatsoever. When Allah tells us that He is controlling the affairs of all that exists, and that He judges, and there is none to reverse His judgement, He says:

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ

(That is because Allah – He is the Truth,) meaning, the true God, besides Whom no one deserves worship. He is the Possessor of the greatest sovereignty; whatever He wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen. Everything is in need of Him and submits to Him.

وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُ 

(and what they invoke besides Him, it is false.) meaning, the idols and false gods. Everything that is worshipped instead of Him – may He be exalted – is false, because it can neither bring benefit nor cause harm.

وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ

(And verily, Allah – He is the Most High, the Most Great.) This is like the Ayat:

وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

(and He is the Most High, the Most Great)(42:4)

الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ

(the Most Great, the Most High)[13:9]. Everything is subject to His might and power; there is no God except Him and no Lord besides Him, because He is the Almighty and there is none mightier than He, the Most High and there is none higher than He, the Most Great and there is none greater than He. Exalted, sanctified, and glorified be He far above all that the evildoers say.