Quran Universe
10:18

وَيَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمۡ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمۡ وَيَقُولُونَ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَـٰٓؤُنَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِۚ قُلۡ أَتُنَبِّـُٔونَ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعۡلَمُ فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشۡرِكُونَ

WayaAAbudoona min dooni Allahi ma la yadurruhum wala yanfaAAuhum wayaqooloona haolai shufaAAaona AAinda Allahi qul atunabbioona Allaha bima la yaAAlamu fee alssamawati wala fee alardi subhanahu wataAAala AAamma yushrikoona

And they worship other than Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, "These are our intercessors with Allah " Say, "Do you inform Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth?" Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him

Word by word
  1. وَيَعۡبُدُونَAnd they worship
  2. مِنfrom
  3. دُونِother than
  4. ٱللَّهِAllah
  5. مَاthat (which)
  6. لَا(does) not
  7. يَضُرُّهُمۡharm them
  8. وَلَاand not
  9. يَنفَعُهُمۡbenefit them
  10. وَيَقُولُونَand they say
  11. هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِThese
  12. شُفَعَـٰٓؤُنَا(are) our intercessors
  13. عِندَwith
  14. ٱللَّهِۚAllah
  15. قُلۡSay
  16. أَتُنَبِّـُٔونَDo you inform
  17. ٱللَّهَAllah
  18. بِمَاof what
  19. لَاnot
  20. يَعۡلَمُhe knows
  21. فِيin
  22. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِthe heavens
  23. وَلَاand not
  24. فِيin
  25. ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚthe earth
  26. سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥGlorified is He
  27. وَتَعَٰلَىٰand Exalted
  28. عَمَّاabove what
  29. يُشۡرِكُونَthey associate (with Him)
Yunus · 10:18Makkah

They worship what can neither help nor harm them.

Trusting intercessors that have no power

What they relied on
other godsno harm, no benefit
called
our intercessorswith Allah
but
Allah knows allno hidden helper exists
The real question
they will speak for mea backstage pass
do you tell Allah news?He knows what exists

The idolators of Makkah worshipped idols, hoping those gods would plead for them before Allah. Ibn Kathir says these gods own nothing and have no authority over anything. The verse asks: are you informing Allah of something in the heavens or earth He does not know?

The lucky bracelet before the exam. The ritual before the interview. The person you think knows the right people. Little helpers you count on more than Allah. None of them can move anything without Him.

I need something extra between me and Allah to get things done.

Nothing I lean on besides Allah can help or harm me on its own.

Try this

Notice one object or ritual you rely on for luck. Replace it with a short dua today.

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

And they worship besides Allah things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: These are our intercessors with Allah." Say: Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?" Glorified and Exalted is He above all that which they associate as partners (with Him)(18)Mankind were but one community, then they differed (later); and had not it been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord, it would have been settled between them regarding what they differed (19)

What do the Idolators believe about Their Gods?

Allah reproaches the idolators that worshipped others beside Allah, thinking that those gods would intercede for them before Allah. Allah states that these gods do not harm or benefit. They don't have any authority over anything, nor do they own anything. These gods can never do what the idolators had claimed about them. That is why Allah said:

قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ

(Say: 'Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?')

Ibn Jarir said: "This means, 'Are you telling Allah about what may not happen in the heavens and earth?' Allah then announced that His Glorious Self is far above their Shirk and Kufr by saying:

سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

(Glorified and Exalted is He above all that which they associate as partners (with Him)!)

Shirk is New

Allah then tells us that Shirk was new among mankind. It was not in existence in the beginning. He tells us that people were believers in one religion and that religion was Islam. Ibn 'Abbas said: "There were ten centuries between Adam and Nuh. They were all on Islam. Then differences among people took place. They worshipped idols and rivals. So Allah sent extensive evidence and irrefutable proof with His Messengers. "

لِّيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَن بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحْيَىٰ مَنْ حَيَّ عَن بَيِّنَةٍ

(So that those who were to be destroyed (for rejecting the faith) might be destroyed after a clear evidence, and those who were to live might live after a clear evidence.)[8:42]

Allah's statement:

وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ

(And had not it been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord...)

means that if Allah had not decreed He would not punish anyone until the evidence is established against them. And also that if He had not given creatures a respite until a defined term had passed, He would have judged among them in what they disputed. Then He would have caused the believers to be happy and delighted and the disbelievers to be miserable and wretched.