Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa Verse 117

Mufti Taqi Usmani

They invoke none, besides Him, but feminine objects; and they invoke none but Satan, the rebel

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Instead of Allah, they only invoke female gods[[ The pagans of Arabia used to shape their idols as females and give them feminine names such as Al-Lât, Al-’Uzza, and Manât.]] and they ˹actually˺ invoke none but a rebellious Satan—

Ruwwad Translation Center

They call upon none besides Him except female [idols]; they call upon none but a rebellious Satan

A. J. Arberry

In stead of Him, they pray not except to female beings; they pray not except to a rebel Satan accursed by God.

Abdul Haleem

In His place the idolaters invoke only females, and Satan, the rebel

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

They invoke beside Him but females, and they invoke not but a Satan rebellious.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

(The Pagans), leaving Him, call but upon female deities; They call but upon satan the persistent rebel!

Abul Ala Maududi

Rather than call upon Him, they call upon goddesses, and call upon a rebellious Satan

Ahmed Ali

In His place they invoke only females (the pagan deities); and instead of Him they invoke Satan the obstinate rebel

Ahmed Raza Khan

The polytheists do not worship Allah, except some females; and they do not worship anyone except the rebellious Satan.

Ali Quli Qarai

They invoke none but females besides Him, and invoke none but a froward Satan,

Ali Ünal

In His stead, they invoke female deities – (in so doing) they in fact invoke none but a haughty, rebellious Satan,

Amatul Rahman Omar

Whatever they (- the polytheists) call on besides Him are none but lifeless objects (and false deities). Infact, they call on none but satan, the rebellious,

English Literal

That they call from other than Him except females, and that they call except a rebellious/evil devil .

Faridul Haque

The polytheists do not worship Allah, except some females; and they do not worship anyone except the rebellious Satan.

Hamid S. Aziz

And surely I will lead them astray; and I will stir up vain desires within them; and I will order them and they shall surely crop the ears of cattle (superstitious practices); and I will order them and they shall surely alter (or corrupt) Allah´s creation." But he who takes the devil for his patron instead of Allah, he loses with a manifest loss.

Hilali & Khan

They (all those who worship others than Allah) invoke nothing but female deities besides Him (Allah), and they invoke nothing but Shaitan (Satan), a persistent rebel!

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Surely Allah forgives not setting up partners with Him, and He forgives all besides this to whom He pleases. And whoever sets up a partner with Allah, he indeed goes far astray.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

They do not call besides Him on anything but idols, and they do not call on anything but a rebellious Shaitan.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

They invoke in His stead only females; they pray to none else than Satan, a rebel

Muhammad Sarwar

They (the pagans) only worship idols and Satan, the persistent rebel.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Instead of Him they supplicate to none but females, and indeed they supplicate to none except the rebellious satan,

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

They invoke nothing but female deities besides Him (Allah), and they invoke nothing but Shaytan, a persistent rebel!

Wahiduddin Khan

They [the polytheists] call upon female deities, and they invoke none but Satan, the rebellious one,

Talal Itani

They invoke in His stead only females. In fact, they invoke none but a rebellious devil.

Tafsir jalalayn

What (in, is [to be understand as] m, `only') they pray to, [what] the idolaters worship, instead of Him, God, that is, other than Him, are but females, idols with feminine names, such as al-Lt, al-`Uzza and Mant; and they (in, is [to be understand as] m, `only') only pray to, they [only] worship, by worshipping [these female idols], a rebellious satan, one who has rebelled against obedience [to God], for they are obeying him in this [worship of female idols].

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

إِن يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلاَّ إِنَاثًا

They invoke nothing but female deities besides Him (Allah),

Juwaybir said that Ad-Dahhak said about Allah's statement,

"The idolators claimed that the angels are Allah's daughters, saying, `We only worship them so that they bring us closer to Allah.'

So they took the angels as gods, made the shapes of girls and decided, `These (idols) resemble the daughters of Allah (i.e., the angels), Whom we worship."'

This is similar to Allah's statements,

أَفَرَءَيْتُمُ اللَّـتَ وَالْعُزَّى

Have you then considered Al-Latand Al-`Uzza! (53;19)

وَجَعَلُواْ الْمَلَـيِكَةَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عِبَادُ الرَّحْمَـنِ إِنَـثاً

And they make the angels who themselves are servants of the Most Gracious (Allah) females. (43;19)

and,

وَجَعَلُواْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجِنَّةِ نَسَباً

And they have invented a kinship between Him and the Jinn. (37;158)

Allah's statement,

وَإِن يَدْعُونَ إِلاَّ شَيْطَانًا مَّرِيدًا



and they invoke nothing but Shaytan, a persistent rebel!

means, Shaytan has commanded them to do this and made it seem fair and beautiful in their eyes. Consequently, they are worshipping Shaytan in reality, just as Allah said in another Ayah,

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يبَنِى ءَادَمَ أَن لاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ الشَّيطَـنَ

Did I not command you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaytan. (36;60)

Allah said that, on the Day of Resurrection, the angels shall proclaim about the idolators who worshipped them in this life;

بَلْ كَانُواْ يَعْبُدُونَ الْجِنَّ أَكْـثَرُهُم بِهِم مُّوْمِنُونَ

Nay, but they used to worship the Jinn; most of them were believers in them. (34;41)

Allah's statement