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13 Jumada al-awwal 1448 AH Saturday, 24 October 2026
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Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Anbya 21:17

Word by word

لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْوًا لَّٱتَّخَذْنَـٰهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ إِن كُنَّا فَـٰعِلِينَ

Had We intended to take a diversion, We could have taken it from [what is] with Us - if [indeed] We were to do so.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Creation was made with Justice and Wisdom

Allah tells us that He created the heavens and the earth in truth, i.e. with justice.لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَيِجْزِى الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ بِالْحُسْنَى(that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done, and reward those who do good, with what is best.) 53:31. He did not create all that in vain or for (mere) play:وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَآءَ وَالاٌّرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَـطِلاً ذَلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنَ النَّارِ (And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose! That is the consideration of those who disbelieve!

Then woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire!) 38:27لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْواً لاَّتَّخَذْنَـهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ إِن كُنَّا فَـعِلِينَ (Had We intended to take a pastime, We could surely have taken it from Us, if We were going to do (that).) Ibn Abi Najih said, narrating from Mujahid:لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْواً لاَّتَّخَذْنَـهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ(Had We intended to take a pastime, We could surely have taken it from Us,) "Meaning, `From Ourself,' He is saying, `We would not have created Paradise or Hell or death or the resurrection or the Reckoning."'إِن كُنَّا فَـعِلِينَ(if We were going to do (that).

) Qatadah, As-Suddi, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i and Mughirah bin Miqsam said: "This means, `We will not do that."' Mujahid said, every time the wordأَنْ(if) is used in the Qur'an, it is a negation.بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَـطِلِ(Nay, We fling the truth against the falsehood,) means, `We explain the truth and thus defeat falsehood.' Allah says:فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ(so it destroys it, and behold, it disappears.) it is fading and vanishing.وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ(And woe to you) O you who say that Allah has offspring.مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ(for that which you ascribe.) that which you say and fabricate. Then Allah informs of the servitude of the angels, and how they persevere in worship night and day:Everything belongs to Allah and serves Himوَلَهُ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَمَنْ عِنْدَهُ(To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and on earth. And those who are near Him) i.e., the angels,لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ(are not too proud to worship Him,) they do not feel proud and do not refuse to worship Him.

This is like the Ayah:لَّن يَسْتَنكِفَ الْمَسِيحُ أَن يَكُونَ عَبْداً للَّهِ وَلاَ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ وَمَن يَسْتَنْكِفْ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَيَسْتَكْبِرْ فَسَيَحْشُرُهُمْ إِلَيهِ جَمِيعاً (Al-Masih will never be proud to reject being a servant of Allah, nor the angels who are the near. And whosoever rejects His worship and is proud, then He will gather them all together unto Himself.) 4:172وَلاَ يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ(nor are they weary.) means, they do not get tired or feel bored.يُسَبِّحُونَ الْلَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لاَ يَفْتُرُونَ (They glorify His praises night and day, they never slacken.) They persist in their worship night and day, obeying Allah to the utmost, and they are able to do this, as Allah says:لاَّ يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ(who do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, but do what they are commanded) 66:6

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

لَوْ أَرَ‌دْنَا أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْوًا لَّاتَّخَذْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا إِن كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ (Had We intended to have a pastime, We would have had it from Our own, if We were to do so. - 21:17) It means that if We were to create something for amusement, there was no need to create the earth and the sky, and We could have done so from the things around Us.

In Arabic language the word لَو is used for imaginary and non-existent things. Here also it is used in the same sense i.e. those foolish people who regard all the wonderful things of the earth and the sky objects of fun and frolic do not realize that creation on such a gigantic scale cannot be undertaken for amusement. The suggestion here is that even a person of ordinary common sense would not indulge in a project which has no serious purpose, to say nothing of Allah Ta` ala who is Supreme and Exalted.

The commonly accepted meaning of لَھو is a purposeless pastime, and this meaning has been adopted in translating this verse. According to some commentators this word لَھو is also used sometimes for wife or children in which case the meaning of the verse would be a denial of the belief of the Jews and Christians, who thought that Sayyidna ` Uzair and Sayyidna Masih (علیہما السلام) were God's sons. If Allah wished to have children why should they be from humans and not from other creatures around Him. (Allah knows best).

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

لو أردنا أن نتخذ لهوًا من الولد أو الصاحبة لاتخذناه من عندنا لا من عندكم، ما كنا فاعلين ذلك; لاستحالة أن يكون لنا ولد أو صاحبة.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

وقوله تعالى : ( لو أردنا أن نتخذ لهوا لاتخذناه من لدنا إن كنا فاعلين ) قال ابن أبي نجيح ، عن مجاهد : ( لو أردنا أن نتخذ لهوا لاتخذناه من لدنا ) يعني : من عندنا ، يقول : وما خلقنا جنة ولا نارا ، ولا موتا ، ولا بعثا ، ولا حسابا .وقال الحسن ، وقتادة ، وغيرهما : ( لو أردنا أن نتخذ لهوا ) اللهو : المرأة بلسان أهل اليمن .وقال إبراهيم النخعي : ( لو أردنا أن نتخذ لهوا لاتخذناه ) من الحور العين .وقال عكرمة والسدي : المراد باللهو هاهنا : الولد .وهذا والذي قبله متلازمان ، وهو كقوله تعالى : ( لو أراد الله أن يتخذ ولدا لاصطفى مما يخلق ما يشاء سبحانه ) [ الزمر : 4 ] ، فنزه نفسه عن اتخاذ الولد مطلقا ، لا سيما عما يقولون من الإفك والباطل ، من اتخاذ عيسى ، أو العزير أو الملائكة ، ( سبحانه وتعالى عما يقولون علوا كبيرا ) [ الإسراء : 43 ] .وقوله : ( إن كنا فاعلين ) قال قتادة ، والسدي ، وإبراهيم النخعي ، ومغيرة بن مقسم ، أي : ما كنا فاعلين .وقال مجاهد : كل شيء في القرآن " إن " فهو إنكار .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.