Quran Universe
10:106

وَلَا تَدۡعُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُرُّكَۖ فَإِن فَعَلۡتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذٗا مِّنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

Wala tadAAu min dooni Allahi ma la yanfaAAuka wala yadurruka fain faAAalta fainnaka ithan mina alththalimeena

And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.'"

Word by word
  1. وَلَاAnd (do) not
  2. تَدۡعُinvoke
  3. مِنbesides Allah
  4. دُونِbesides Allah
  5. ٱللَّهِbesides Allah
  6. مَاwhat
  7. لَا(will) not
  8. يَنفَعُكَbenefit you
  9. وَلَاand not
  10. يَضُرُّكَۖharm you
  11. فَإِنBut if
  12. فَعَلۡتَyou did so
  13. فَإِنَّكَindeed,you
  14. إِذٗاthen (will be)
  15. مِّنَof
  16. ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَthe wrongdoers
Yunus · 10:106Makkah

Do not call on what cannot help or harm you.

Turning to powerless things

What you call on
besides Allahno benefit
besides Allahno harm
doing so
wrongdoingagainst yourself
Who has the power
the charm, the personthey can fix it
Allah aloneharm and benefit in His hand

The Prophet ﷺ was told not to invoke besides Allah what can neither benefit nor harm. Ibn Kathir notes the challenge: call on them to harm me, and you will see they can do nothing. Only Allah holds harm and benefit.

Before the interview you touch your lucky ring, check your horoscope app, text the friend who always says it will be fine. You call on everything but Him. Ask Allah first.

Small superstitions are harmless comfort.

Turning to powerless things for help pulls my heart from the One who has power.

Try this

Before your next stressful moment, make a short dua before anything else.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 10:104)

Say:"O people! If you are in doubt about my religion - I will never worship those whom you worship besides Allah, rather, I will worship Allah, the One Who cause you to die. And I was commanded to be one of the believers (104)And (I was commanded), "Direct your face toward the Hanif (monotheism) religion, and not be one of the idolators. (105)"And do not invoke besides Allah what will not benefit you nor harm you. For if you did, you would certainly be one of the wrongdoers. (106)And if Allah touches you with harm, there is none who can lift it but He. And if He intends good for you, then none can repel His favor which He causes to reach whom He wills among His servants. And He is the Pardoning, the Merciful (107)

The Command to worship Allah Alone and rely upon Him

Allah, the Exalted, says to His Messenger, Muhammad , 'Say: O mankind! If you are in doubt about the correctness of that which I have been sent with the Hanif (monotheism) religion - the religion which Allah has revealed to me – then know that I do not worship those whom you worship besides Allah. Rather, I worship Allah alone, ascribing no partners to Him. He is the One Who causes you to die just as He gives you life. Then, unto Him is your final return. If the gods that you call upon are real, I still refuse to worship them. So call upon them and ask them to harm me, and you will see that they can bring no harm or benefit. The only One Who holds the power of harm and benefit in His Hand is Allah alone, Who has no partners.'

وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And I was commanded to be one of the believers.)[10:104] Concerning Allah's statement,

وَأَنْ أَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا

(And that you direct your face towards the Hanif religion) This means to make one's intention in worship solely for Allah alone, being a Hanif. Hanif means one who turns away from associating partners with Allah. For this reason Allah says,

وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

(and not be one of the idolators.) This statement is directly connected with the previous statement,

وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And I was commanded to be one of the believers.) Concerning His statement,

وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ

(And if Allah touches you with harm,) This verse contains the explanation that good, evil, benefit and harm only come from Allah alone and no one shares with His power over these things. Therefore, He is the One Who deserves to be worshipped alone, without ascription of partners. Concerning His statement,

وَهُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

(And He is the Pardoning, the Merciful.) This means that He is forgiving and merciful towards those who turn to Him in repentance, regardless of what sin the person has committed. Even if the person associated a partner with Allah, verily Allah would forgive him if he repented from it.