لَا يَمْلِكُونَ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْدًا ﴿۸۷﴾ وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَدًا ﴿۸۸﴾ لَقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْئًا إِدًّا ﴿۸۹﴾ تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنْشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا ﴿۹۰﴾ أَنْ دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَدًا ﴿۹۱﴾ وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِلرَّحْمَنِ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا ﴿۹۲﴾ إِنْ كُلُّ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدًا ﴿۹۳﴾ لَقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا ﴿۹۴﴾

﴾87﴿ Laa yamlikoonash shafaa'ata illaa manittakhaza 'indar Rahmaani 'ahdaa
﴾88﴿ Wa qaalut takhazar Rahmaanu waladaa
﴾89﴿ Laqad ji'tum shai'an iddaa
﴾90﴿ Takaadus samaawaatu yatafattarna minhu wa tanshaq qul ardu wa takhirrul jibaalu haddaa
﴾91﴿ An da'aw lir Rahmaani waladaa
﴾92﴿ Wa maa yambaghee lir Rahmaani ai yattakhiza waladaa
﴾93﴿ In kullu man fis samaawaati wal ardi illaaa aatir Rahmaani 'abdaa
﴾94﴿ Laqad ahsaahum wa addahum 'addaa

﴾87﴿ None will have the power to intercede except the one who has taken a covenant from the Most Merciful
﴾88﴿ And they say, The Most Merciful has taken a son for Himself
﴾89﴿ You have indeed come with an outrageous statement
﴾90﴿ The heavens are almost torn apart because of this, the earth splits asunder, and the mountains collapse in devastation
﴾91﴿ Because they attribute a son to the Most Merciful
﴾92﴿ And it is not befitting for the Most Merciful to take a son
﴾93﴿ There is no one in the heavens and the earth except that they come to the Most Merciful as a servant
﴾94﴿ Indeed, He has encompassed them (in His power and knowledge) and has precisely counted them all

[87] This verse is a refutation of forced or unconditional intercession (shafā‘ah qahriyyah), and it carries multiple interpretations:
1. First Interpretation: The pronoun in “lā yamlikūna” refers to the criminals (mujrimīn)—they do not have authority to intercede for anyone.
The exception “illā man akhadh ʿinda ar-Raḥmān ʿahdan” is a disconnected exception (munqaṭiʿ), meaning: Only those who have received the covenant of tawḥīd may intercede.
In this view, the “ʿahd” refers to permission from Allah.
2. Second Interpretation: “Lā yamlikūna” refers to all—false gods, criminals, even the righteous—none of them have the power to intercede for others,
except those who were upon tawḥīd.
Here, the exception is connected (muttasil), and the pronoun is general, covering everyone mentioned earlier.
In this view, “ʿahd” means belief in tawḥīd.
3. Third Interpretation: The pronoun in “lā yamlikūna” refers to the righteous (muttaqūn)—they cannot intercede for anyone,
except for those who were upon tawḥīd.
Again, “ʿahd” refers to belief in tawḥīd, and the “lā” implies a limitation even for the righteous.
In “man”, the letter lām (ل) is understood to be hidden (i.e., li-man akhadh ʿahdan), and the meaning of “ʿahdan” varies:
In the first interpretation, it means permission from Allah,
In the other interpretations, it refers to the covenant of tawḥīd.
[88,89,90,91] This verse contains the sixth rebuke (zajr)—directed at those who ascribe a child to Allah, and it strongly highlights the horrific nature of such a belief.
1. The word “iddan” means something extremely vile or tremendously heavy in its ugliness.
2. The severe effect of this false claim is described: it is so grave that the heavens, the earth, and the mountains are nearly torn apart, crumble, or collapse.
This is a metaphor indicating how cosmic order is shaken by the claim of Allah having a child.
The intended meaning is the possibility of universal destruction or even the coming of the Day of Judgment because of the seriousness of this shirk.
However, they have not yet perished, because the kalimah of tawḥīd (Lā ilāha illā Allāh) still exists in the world.
According to an authentic ḥadīth: “The Hour will not be established until the name of Allah is no longer mentioned on the earth.”
This verse also hints that shirk is the cause of corruption and ruin in the universe.
As for the phrase “an daʿaw li’r-Raḥmān waladan”, there are two meanings:
1. “Daʿaw” means attributed—they ascribe a child to ar-Raḥmān.
2. Or it means they invoke and call upon someone as a “child of Allah”—i.e., they worship him, while claiming he is the son of Allah.
According to an authentic ḥadīth, attributing a child to Allah is considered a form of insult (sabb) toward Him.
This highlights the extreme seriousness and blasphemy of such a belief.
[92] The phrase “mā yanbaghī” is used in the Qur’an and Arabic language to indicate something that is clearly impermissible or inappropriate—not just legally, but also morally or logically.
It is stronger than simply saying "it's not allowed"—it implies that such a thing does not befit or is unthinkable for the one being spoken about.
Likewise, the word “yanbaghī” on its own (without negation) is used to express something that is clearly necessary, proper, or fitting.
So the contrast is: “mā yanbaghī” = clearly inappropriate or impossible,
“yanbaghī” = clearly appropriate or required.
[93] In this verse, the reason for the phrase “mā yanbaghī” (it is not appropriate) is mentioned.
It explains why it is impossible and unbefitting for anyone to be considered a child of Allah—because all the prophets and awliyā’ (friends of Allah) are servants (‘ibād) of Allah, fully devoted in their servitude.
This verse also contains a central theme of the sūrah—that all prophets and righteous individuals are completely dependent on Allah, and a true servant cannot be a son.
The word “āti” (will come) can be interpreted in two ways:
1. It refers to this worldly life—meaning they come to Allah with servitude even in this world.
2. Or, it refers to the Day of Judgment, when they will appear before Allah in complete submission.
However, the first interpretation is stronger and more fitting in this context.
[94] This verse indicates that all of them are encompassed within Allah’s absolute power and knowledge.
It also emphasizes that Allah is fully aware of every detail concerning them—nothing about them is hidden from His knowledge, not even the smallest matter.
This reinforces His complete control and the servitude of all creation before Him.