يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O mankind! worship your Lord, Who hath created you and those before you, so that ye may ward off (evil).” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, the expression 'la'allekum tettekun' refers to the protection (taqwa) of servants from Allah's wrath and anger in exchange for them affirming Allah's oneness, obeying Him, and dedicating worship exclusively to Him. This command is directed at two groups—both the unbelievers and the hypocrites—calling them to obedience and tawhid. Furthermore, the exegete emphasizes that the particle 'lealle' does not carry the meaning of doubt here; rather, it indicates a cause-and-effect relationship.
وتأويل ذلك: لعلكم تتقون بعبادتكم ربكم الذي خلقكم
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
The text explains the grammatical structure of the expression in the verse: the question 'who' comes as an adjective to the subject (mubtada), while the predicate (khabar) is the expression 'is there any partner among your partners.' Additionally, it is emphasized that Allah alone is the one who performs these specific acts, and no one else has the power to do them. Besides this, reference is made to a different reading by Ibn Mas'ud ('وتذكروا') and another reading ('واذكروا').
وقرأ ابن مسعود : ( وتذكروا ) وقرىء : ( واذكروا ) ، بمعنى وتذكروا
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, Râzî notes that after Allah commanded His servants to worship Him, He mentioned the proof showing the existence of the Creator—His creation of those responsible for fulfilling commands and those before them. According to this view, the path to knowing Allah is only through reflection (nazar) and logical inference (istidlal); the opinion of a group from the Hashwiyya sect that considering this knowledge to be innovation is rejected. Additionally, the benefit of the expression 'He also created those before you' is discussed: the creation of one's ancestors is also shown as part of the blessing directed toward the individual.
اعلم أنه سبحانه لما أمر بعبادة الرب أردفه بما يدل على وجود الصانع وهو خلق المكلفين وخلق من قبلهم ، وهذا يدل على أنه لا طريق إلى معرفة الله تعالى إلا بالنظر والاستدلال وطعن قوم من الحشوية في هذه الطريقة وقالوا الاشتغال بهذا العلم بدعة
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
Kurtubî reports three views in interpreting the repeated expressions 'lealle' in the Qur'an (تعقلون، تشكرون، تذكرون، تتقون): first, according to Sibawayh and linguistic authorities, maintaining the original meaning of lealle, which is 'hope and expectation,' though this expectation is directed toward the addressees (humans) rather than toward Allah; second, the use of lealle stripped of doubt as meaning 'the lam of explanation' (ta'lil); third, lealle carrying the meaning of inclination toward or exposure to something. Furthermore, it is stated that the word 'tettekun' indicates protection from the killer in the verse about retaliation, and in the verse about fasting, it means refraining from sins by weakening desires.
الأول أن لعل على بابها من الترجي والتوقع والترجي والتوقع إنما هو في حيز البشر فكأنه قيل لهم أفعلوا ذلك على الرجاء منكم والطمع أن تعقلوا وأن تذكروا وأن تتقوا هذا قول سيبويه ورؤساء اللسان
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Ibn Kesîr, this address is directed jointly at both the unbelievers and the hypocrites; humans are commanded to affirm the oneness of themselves and their Lord who created them and those before them. This view is based on a narration transmitted from Ibn Abbas. According to Ibn Abbas, this address is from the Chapter of the Cow and is directed at everyone—the red and the black, the Arab and the non-Arab.
وهذا خطاب للأحمر والأسود والعربي والعجمي من سورة البقرة
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the address 'yâ eyyühe'n-nâs' comes in the style of sudden address (iltifat) after the enumeration of the obligated groups in order to awaken the listener, emphasize the importance of worship, and lighten the burden of obligation with the elegance of the address. Although the call (nidâ) is established for addressing those far away, here it serves either to counter the heedlessness of the addressee or to increase the importance given to the matter. The expression 'Your Lord' draws attention to the attribute of lordship that makes worship obligatory, and 'lealleküm tettekun' points to the fact that piety is the ultimate station of those on the spiritual path.
أقبل عليهم بالخطاب على سبيل الالتفات هزا للسامع وتنشيطا له واهتماما بأمر العبادة، وتفخيما لشأنها، وجبرا لكلفة العبادة بلذة المخاطبة.
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes emphasize the universality of the address in the verse (unbeliever-hypocrite, everyone) and the causal relationship between the call to worship and affirmation of Allah's oneness and piety. Taberî, Kurtubî, and Beydâvî stress that the particle 'lealle' carries the meaning of cause-and-effect or expectation (reca) rather than doubt. Taberî and Ibn Kesîr coincide on the point that the address is directed at both unbelievers and hypocrites (based on the narration from Ibn Abbas). Most exegetes employ both narration-based and linguistic-rhetorical methods together.
Differences
While Taberî and Ibn Kesîr employ a narration-focused approach (reports from the early scholars, Ibn Abbas), Zemahshashî and Beydâvî concentrate on grammatical and rhetorical analysis (i'rab, iltifat, the style of calling). Kurtubî presents three different linguistic views on the particle 'lealle' comparatively and relies on linguists such as Sibawayh. Râzî stands out from the others by emphasizing the rational-theological method (kalam); arguing that Allah's existence must be known through reflection and logical inference while directing criticism at the Hashwiyya—this is a theological-polemical dimension not seen in other exegetes. Zemahshashî additionally mentions variant readings (the reading of Ibn Mas'ud), which is absent in the others.
Historical context
While the earliest exegete, Taberî, combines narration and linguistic analysis, in later periods (Zemahshashî, Râzî, Beydâvî), rhetorical and theological-rational methods have become more systematic and technical; particularly in Râzî, the inclusion of theological discussions (such as criticism of the Hashwiyya) in Qur'anic exegesis demonstrates the influence of the philosophical-theological school on exegesis. Zemahshashî's Mu'tazilite language-focused approach and Beydâvî's more synthetic style (rhetoric plus context) show that the exegetical tradition increasingly gave place to linguistic refinement and aesthetic-literary analysis over time. Kurtubî, by presenting disagreements among linguists together, follows an encyclopedic method. Nevertheless, the fundamental message—affirmation of Allah's oneness, piety, and the universality of the address—has remained constant throughout all periods.
Modern connection
The fact that this verse directs its call to worship to everyone (without distinction between believer and non-believer) can be read today as pointing to an approach in which reason and heart work together, questioning but seeking sincere faith. As Râzî emphasized, deepening faith through investigation rather than blind imitation reminds us that science and belief do not exclude each other; rather, when knowledge unites with sincerity, it can bring a person closer to piety. In this context, the verse can offer a cautious inspiration regarding the importance of addressing different thoughts and segments of society at the social level in a patient and inclusive manner.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar