10:36

وَمَا يَتَّبِعُ أَكۡثَرُهُمۡ إِلَّا ظَنًّاۚ إِنَّ ٱلظَّنَّ لَا يُغۡنِي مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ شَيۡـًٔاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمُۢ بِمَا يَفۡعَلُونَ

Wama yattabiAAu aktharuhum illa thannan inna alththanna la yughnee mina alhaqqi shayan inna Allaha AAaleemun bima yafAAaloona

And most of them follow not except assumption. Indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what they do.

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. يَتَّبِعُfollow
  3. أَكۡثَرُهُمۡmost of them
  4. إِلَّاexcept
  5. ظَنًّاۚassumption
  6. إِنَّIndeed
  7. ٱلظَّنَّthe assumption
  8. لَا(does) not
  9. يُغۡنِيavail
  10. مِنَagainst
  11. ٱلۡحَقِّthe truth
  12. شَيۡـًٔاۚanything
  13. إِنَّIndeed
  14. ٱللَّهَAllah
  15. عَلِيمُۢ(is) All-Knower
  16. بِمَاof what
  17. يَفۡعَلُونَthey do
Yunus · 10:36Makkah

Guesswork is no match for the truth.

Following assumption instead of evidence


What they followed
assumptionimagination, habit
against
the truthit does not budge
Belief built on
I assume soeveryone says it
evidenceAllah knows what you do

Ibn Kathir says they did not follow their religion out of evidence and proof, but mere conjecture and imagination. And conjecture is no substitute for the truth. Allah knows what they do.

"I heard that..." "Someone said..." You form a strong opinion about a person, a ruling, a news story, from a screenshot. Assumption feels like knowledge until the facts arrive.

My strong feeling about it is good enough.

A guess, however confident, cannot stand against the truth.

Try this

Before stating one strong opinion today, ask yourself: how do I actually know this?

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 10:34)

Say: "Is there of your partners one that originates the creation and then repeats it?" Say: "Allah originates the creation and then He repeats it. Then how are you deluded away (from the truth)? (34)Say: "Is there of your partners one that guides to the truth?" Say: "It is Allah Who guides to the truth. Is then He Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unless he is guided? Then, what is the matter with you? How judge you? (35)And most of them follow nothing but conjecture. Certainly, conjecture can be of no avail against the truth. Surely, Allah is All-Aware of what they do (36)

This invalidates and falsifies their claims for committing Shirk with Allah and worshipping different idols and rivals.

قُلْ هَلْ مِن شُرَكَائِكُم مَّن يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ

(Say: "Is there of your partners one that originates the creation and then repeats it?") meaning, who is the one who started the creation of these heavens and earth and created all the creatures in them? Who can place the planets and the stars in their positions? Who can then repeat the process of the creation?

قُلِ اللَّهُ 

(Say: "Allah") It is He Who does this. He does it by Himself, alone without partners.

فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ

("Then how are you deluded away (from the truth)?")

How is it that you are so misled from the right path to falsehood?

قُلْ هَلْ مِن شُرَكَائِكُم مَّن يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ ۚ قُلِ اللَّهُ يَهْدِي لِلْحَقِّ

(Say: "Is there of your partners one that guides to the truth?" Say: " It is Allah who guides to the truth...")

You know that your deities are incapable of guiding those who are astray. It is Allah alone Who guides the misled and confused ones and turns the hearts from the wrong path to the right path. It is Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but He.

أَفَمَن يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَن يُتَّبَعَ أَمَّن لَّا يَهِدِّي إِلَّا أَن يُهْدَىٰ

(Is then He Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unless he is guided?)

Will the servant then follow the one who guides to the truth so that he may see after he was blind, or follow one who doesn't guide to anything except towards blindness and muteness? Allah said that Ibrahim said:

يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنكَ شَيْئًا

(O my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything?)[19:42]

And said to his people

أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ - وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

(Worship you that which you (yourselves) carve? While Allah has created you and what you make!)[37:95-96]

Also, there are many Ayat in this regard. Allah then said:

فَمَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

(Then, what is the matter with you? How judge you?)

What is the matter with you? What has happened to your mind? How did you make Allah's creatures equal to Him? What kind of judgement did you make to turn away from Allah and worship this or that? Why did you not worship the Lord – Glorified be He, the True King, the Judge and the One Who guides to the truth? Why didn't you call upon Him alone and turn towards Him? Allah then explained that they did not follow their own religion out of evidence and proof. The fact is that they were following mere conjecture and imagination. But conjecture is in no way a substitute for the truth. At the end of this Ayah. He said,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ

(Allah is All-Aware of what they do.)

This is both a threat and a promise of severe punishment. Allah said that He would reward them for their actions with a complete reward.