Al-Mu'minun · Makki · ayah 59 of 118

Al-Mu'minun 23:59

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِرَبِّهِمْ لَا يُشْرِكُونَ

“And they who do not associate anything with their Lord”

Saheeh International

Essence

Those racing to good give their Lord no partner, not an idol on a shelf and not a watching eye that shares their motive.

A reflection

The partner hiding inside a good deed

At a charity food drive, one volunteer sorts tins at a steady pace. Then the local paper's photographer arrives. Suddenly he is lifting the heaviest boxes and smiling at the lens. When the photographer leaves, so does his energy.

Most people hear lā yushrikūn, they associate no partner, and picture idols. That is part of it. One commentator explains it plainly: they worship Him alone, knowing there is no god but Allah, with no consort, no child and no equal.

But another commentator notices something odd. The previous ayah already praised belief in His signs, which includes believing He is one. So why repeat it? He concludes that something subtler is meant here: hidden shirk. It is sincerity, doing an act of worship only for the face of Allah and seeking His pleasure.

A third commentator draws the same line. They keep their worship pure for their Lord. They give no share of it to an idol, and they do not show off with it to any of His creatures. They make their deeds purely for His face.

Sunan Ibn Majah records the Prophet ﷺ coming out while his Companions were discussing the Antichrist. He said: shall I not tell you what I fear for you more than him? Hidden shirk: a man stands to pray, and makes his prayer beautiful because he sees someone looking. The narration is graded ḥasan.

So the narrow image breaks. Shirk is not only a statue in a temple. It can be a camera at a food drive. It can be a longer prayer when a respected guest is in the row behind.

The volunteer is not a hypocrite for feeling the pull. Everyone feels it. The people described in this ayah notice it, and refuse to let the watching eye become a partner in the deed.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.