What does Quran 16:51 mean?

Quran 16:51 (Surah An-Nahl, Ayah 51) translates to: "And Allah has said, "Do not take for yourselves two deities. He is but one God, so fear only Me.""

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 16:51 from?

This ayah is from Surah An-Nahl (The Bee), the 16th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 14.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 16:51?

Yes — there are 5 hadiths related to this ayah from Sunan Ibn Majah, Sahih al-Bukhari, Sunan Abu Dawud.

What tafsir is available for Quran 16:51?

Commentary on this ayah is available from Ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abbas, Al-Jalalayn — classical scholars of Quranic exegesis.

What topics does Quran 16:51 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Allah, Tawhid, Al-Wahid, Rejection of Polytheism, Divine Sovereignty.

Ayah 50

يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ ...

16:51An-Nahl

Ayah 52

وَلَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَهُ ٱ...

۞ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ إِلَٰهَيْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۖ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَٰهٌۭ وَٰحِدٌۭ ۖ فَإِيَّٰىَ فَٱرْهَبُونِ

Wa qaalal laahu laa tatta khizooo ilaahainis naini innamaa Huwa Ilaahunw Waahid; fa iyyaaya farhaboon

And Allah has said, "Do not take for yourselves two deities. He is but one God, so fear only Me."

Themes in this ayah

Explore in Habl →

Oneness of Allah99 God-consciousness98

Scores run 0–100: how strongly this ayah speaks to a theme. 70+ is central, 50+ is clear, under 50 is weak.

3 other themes with weak connections

Labeled by AI and people · How this works

Follow this theme through An-NahlFollow this theme

16:51Ayah 1128

17 ayahs in An-Nahl are strongly about the oneness of Allah. This is one of them.

← Previous on Oneness of Allah16:36And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghut." And among them were those whom Allah guided,Next on Oneness of Allah →16:52And to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and to Him is [due] worship constantly. Then is it other than Allah that you fear?

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 16:51→

And God has said ‘Do not choose two gods ithnayn is for emphasis. Truly there is only One God — He has added this statement to affirm His Divinity and Oneness — so be in awe of Me alone’ fear Me to the exclusion of anyone else — herein is a shift from the third person to the first.

“He (Allah) is the One, deserving that mankind should be afraid of, and should be dutiful to Him, and should not take any Ilah (god) along with Him, and He is the One Who forgives (sins).” Then he said: “Allah says: ‘I am the One Who deserves to be feared, so no other god should be appointed alongside Me. Whoever avoids appointing another god alongside Me, I am the One Who should forgive him.” Another chain reports a similar hadith.

Sunan Ibn Majah #3940It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:Da'if

“Allah says: ‘I am the Most Self-Sufficient and I have no need for an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.’”

Sahih al-Bukhari #3942Narrated Abu Huraira:Sahih

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to say, "None has the right to be worshipped except Allah Alone (Who) honored His Warriors and made His Slave victorious, and He (Alone) defeated the (infidel) clans; so there is nothing after Him.

Sunan Abu Dawud #1417Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:Sahih

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah is single (witr) and loves what is single, so observe the witr, you who follow the Qur'an.

Sunan an-Nasa'i #998It was narrated from Abu Ayyub that:Da'if

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Say: He is Allah, (the) One" is one-third of the Quran."