What does Quran 43:87 mean?

Quran 43:87 (Surah Az-Zukhruf, Ayah 87) translates to: "And if you asked them who created them, they would surely say, "Allah." So how are they deluded?"

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 43:87 from?

This ayah is from Surah Az-Zukhruf (Ornaments of gold), the 43th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 25.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 43:87?

Yes — there are 5 hadiths related to this ayah from Sahih Muslim, Sahih al-Bukhari.

What tafsir is available for Quran 43:87?

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

What topics does Quran 43:87 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Creation, Allah, Tawhid, Guidance, Human Ignorance.

Ayah 86

وَلَا يَمْلِكُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ ٱلش...

43:87Az-Zukhruf

Ayah 88

وَقِيلِهِۦ يَٰرَبِّ إِنَّ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ قَوْمٌۭ لَّا...

وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ

Wa la'in sa altahum man khalaqahum la yaqoolun nallaahu fa annaa yu'fakoon

And if you asked them who created them, they would surely say, "Allah." So how are they deluded?

Themes in this ayah

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Oneness of Allah70

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

9 other themes with weak connections

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Oneness of Allah

43:87Ayah 189

10 ayahs in Az-Zukhruf are strongly about the oneness of Allah. This is one of them.

← Previous on Oneness of Allah43:86And those they invoke besides Him do not possess [power of] intercession; but only those who testify to the truth [can benefit], and they know.

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 43:87→

And if wa-la-in the lām is for oaths you ask them who created them they will surely say ‘God’ la-yaqūlunna the indicative nūn and the plural person indicator wāw have been omitted. How can they then deviate? how can they be turned away from worshipping God?

Verily your people would constantly question about this and that till they would say: Well, it is Allah Who created the creation, but who created Allah?

Sahih Muslim #250It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:Sahih

Men will continue to question one another till this is propounded: Allah created all things but who created Allah? He who found himself confronted with such a situation should say: I affirm my faith in Allah.

Sahih al-Bukhari #7019Narrated Anas bin Malik:Sahih

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "People will not stop asking questions till they say, 'This is Allah, the Creator of everything, then who created Allah?' "

Sahih Muslim #254It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed:Sahih

People will constantly ask you questions pertaining to knowledge till they would say: Allah created us, but who created Allah? he (the narrator) says: he (Abu Huraira) was (at the time of narrating this hadith) catching hold of the hand of a man and he said: Allah and the Messenger told the truth. Two persons have already put me this question, and this is the third one, or he said: One man has put me this question and he is the second one.

Sahih Muslim #256Abu Huraira reported:Sahih

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: they (the people) till constantly ask you, Abu Huraira, (about different things pertaining to religion) the they would say: Well, there is Allah, but after all who created Allah? He (Abu Huraira) narrated: Once we were in the mosque that some of the Bedouins came there and said: Well, there is Allah, but who created Allah? He (the narrator) said: I took hold of the pebbles in my fist and flung at them and remarked: Stand up, stand up (go away) my friend (the Holy Prophet) told the truth.