What does Quran 51:56 mean?

Quran 51:56 (Surah Adh-Dhaariyat, Ayah 56) translates to: "And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me."

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 51:56 from?

This ayah is from Surah Adh-Dhaariyat (The Winnowing Winds), the 51th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 27.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 51:56?

Yes — there are 2 hadiths related to this ayah from Sunan Abu Dawud, Sahih Muslim.

What tafsir is available for Quran 51:56?

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

What topics does Quran 51:56 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Creation, Tawhid, Prophethood, Rejection of Prophets, Patience.

Ayah 55

وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِي...

51:56Adh-Dhaariyat

Ayah 57

مَآ أُرِيدُ مِنْهُم مِّن رِّزْقٍۢ وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَ...

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

Wa maa khalaqtul jinna wal insa illaa liya'budoon

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

Themes in this ayah

Explore in Habl →

Oneness of Allah85

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

8 other themes with weak connections

Labeled by AI and people · How this works

Follow this theme through Adh-DhaariyatFollow this theme

Oneness of Allah

51:56Ayah 160

2 ayahs in Adh-Dhaariyat are strongly about the oneness of Allah. This is one of them.

← Previous on Oneness of Allah51:51And do not make [as equal] with Allah another deity. Indeed, I am to you from Him a clear warner.

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 51:56→

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except that they may worship Me the fact that disbelievers do not worship God does not contradict this statement since a purpose does not have to be realised in an act for it to be valid as when you may say ‘I sharpened this pencil in order to write with it’ even though you might not actually write with it.

I was not commanded to build high mosques. Ibn Abbas said: You will certainly adorn them as the Jews and Christians did.

Sahih Muslim #7419Abū Ghassān Muhammad bin Amr ar-Rāzī narrated to us, he said, I heard Jarīr saying:Sahih

‘I met Jābir bin Yazīd al-Ju’fī and did not write .