َ وَأَنَّهُ لَمَّا قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُوا يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَدًا ﴿۱۹﴾ قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَدْعُو رَبِّي وَلَا أُشْرِكُ بِهِ أَحَدًا ﴿۲۰﴾ قُلْ إِنِّي لَا أَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا رَشَدًا ﴿۲۱﴾ قُلْ إِنِّي لَنْ يُجِيرَنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ أَحَدٌ وَلَنْ أَجِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًا ﴿۲۲﴾

﴾19﴿ Wa annahoo lammaa qaama 'abdul laahi yad'oohu kaadoo yakoonoona 'alaihi libada
﴾20﴿ Qul innamaaa ad'oo rabbee wa laaa ushriku biheee 'ahada
﴾21﴿ Qul innee laaa amliku lakum darranw wa laa rashada
﴾22﴿ Qul innee lany yujeeranee minal laahi 'ahadunw, wa lan ajida min doonihee multahada

﴾19﴿ And this is the revelation: When the servant of Allah stood up calling upon Him, they nearly crowded upon him, clinging closely
﴾20﴿ Say, I call upon my Lord and do not associate anyone with Him
﴾21﴿ Say, Indeed, I have no power to bring you harm or benefit
﴾22﴿ Say, Indeed, no one can ever protect me from Allah, nor can I find any refuge besides Him

[19] There are different interpretations among the commentators regarding this verse: First opinion: This is the fourth revelation, connected to the opening of the surah. The term ‘abdullāh refers to the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace).
(Yad‘ūhu) means worship—referring to him performing prayer and reciting the Qur’an.
(Kādū) refers to the state of the jinn, who would crowd around the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he recited Qur’an or prayed, due to their love and eagerness to listen.
Second opinion: ‘Abdullāh refers to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and, by extension, to every monotheist who calls others to the oneness of Allah in every era.
(Yad‘ūhu) means inviting others to Allah.
(Kādū) refers to the opponents—those who gather against him to oppose, dishonor, or prevent his mission.
[20,21] This too is from the revealed instructions given by Allah the Exalted to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).
It means: if these people oppose you, then clearly explain to them the reality of the matter.
This is a refutation of shirk fī al-du‘ā’ (associating others with Allah in supplication), and refuting shirk in supplication logically entails refuting all forms of shirk in worship, because—as stated in the ḥadīth—“Du‘ā is worship.”
(Wa lā ushriku) – This explicit wording clearly shows that asking anyone other than Allah in supplication is shirk.
(Qul innī lā amliku) – This too is a revelation, and it gives the reasoning behind the previous statement: shirk in supplication is invalid because no one besides Allah has power over benefit or harm.
It is a refutation of shirk fī al-taṣarruf—the belief that the Prophet (peace be upon him) or anyone else has independent control over the universe.
(Ḍarran wa lā rashadan) – These are general terms, encompassing every form of harm or benefit—whether physical, financial, worldly, or religious.
Similar statements are found in Sūrah al-A‘rāf (7:188) and Sūrah Yūnus (10:49); however, in those verses the denial of ownership refers to the Prophet’s own self, whereas here it refers to anyone besides Allah.
[22,23] This too is revelation, and it is a refutation of shirk fī al-isti‘ādhah (associating others with Allah in seeking protection).
It means: hypothetically, if I were to abandon the message of tawḥīd and the Qur’an, then no one could save me from the punishment of Allah the Exalted.
(Lan yujīranī mina Allāhi aḥadun) – There is a significant difference between this statement and the one that follows:
1. Without even asking, no one can grant protection besides Allah.
2. Even with asking and striving, no one else can protect from Allah’s decree.
3. If a punishment from Allah comes, no one can avert it, and there is no escape from it.
(Abadan) – This emphasizes permanence, and indicates that the disobedience referred to here is disbelief and shirk, because general disobedience (ma‘ṣiyah) is not permanently damning—only major disbelief and rejection are.