Transliteration:( Wa la'in sa altahum man khalaqas samaawaati wal arda la yaqoolunnal laah; qulil hamdu lillaah; bal aksaruhum laa ya'lamoon )
"And if you ask them who has created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say [57]: 'Allah'. Please declare: 'All praise belongs to Allah'. But most of them do not know [58]."
This verse refers to those disbelievers who acknowledged the existence of Allah Almighty. However, not all disbelievers were like this—some among the Makkan polytheists were atheists who denied the existence of any deity altogether. As Allah says: “He dies, and we live, and none destroys us but time” (Surah Al-Jathiya 45:24). Hence, this verse is not contradictory to others which mention denial of Allah’s existence.
This teaches us that acknowledging Allah as the Creator, Master, and Controller—even along with all His Attributes—is not sufficient for true faith. Even Iblis (Satan) held this belief yet was still a disbeliever.
True faith (Iman) demands belief in Allah alongside acceptance of the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ.
The polytheists of Arabia accepted the Attributes of Allah Almighty, yet they became disbelievers due to their rejection of the Prophet ﷺ.
The phrase "most of them do not know" indicates that among them:
Some believed in Allah’s Attributes but still committed shirk (polytheism), and
Others accepted Islam, or
Some, before the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, were true monotheists, such as his parents, forefathers, and other believers of earlier times.
Hence, “most” is used—not all were ignorant, but the majority failed to act upon their belief properly.
25. And if you ask them: “Who has created the heavens and the earth,” they will certainly say: “Allah.” Say: “All the praises and thanks be to Allah!” But most of them know not. 26. To Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. Verily, Allah, He is Al-Ghani, Worthy of all praise.
Allah tells us that these idolators who associated others with Him admitted that Allah Alone, with no partner or associate, is the Creator of heaven and earth yet they still worshipped others besides Him who they recognized were created by Him and subjugated to Him. Allah says:
(And if you ask them: “Who has created the heavens and the earth,” they will certainly say: “Allah.” Say: “All the praises and thanks be to Allah!”) By their admitting that, proof is established against them,
(But most of them know not.) Then Allah says:
(To Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth.) meaning, He created it and has dominion over it.
(Verily, Allah, He is Al-Ghani, Worthy of all praise.) means, He has no need of anyone or anything besides Himself, and everything else is in need of Him. He is Worthy of praise for all that He has created, so praise be to Him in the heavens and on earth for all that He has created and decreed, and He is worthy of praise in all affairs.
(31:25) If you were to ask them: “Who created the heavens and the earth?” they will certainly reply: “Allah.” Say: “All praise and thanks be to Allah.”[44] Yet most of them do not know.[45]
44. That, is, “Most of the people do not know what are the inevitable results and demands of accepting Allah as the Creator of the universe, and what contradicts it. When a person acknowledges Allah as the Creator of the earth and the heavens. He should also acknowledge that Allah alone is the Deity and Lord: that He alone is worthy of worship and obedience: that He alone can be invoked for needs, and no one other than Him can be the Law-Giver and Ruler of His creation. To acknowledge one as the Creator and another as the deity is contrary to reason and a contradiction in terms, which can be upheld only by an ignorant person. Likewise, it would be a contradiction in terms to believe in one Being as the Creator and to regard another from among the creation as remover of hardships or as a deity and possessor of power and authority and sovereignty, which no reasonable person will acknowledge and accept.”
45. That is, “The reality is not merely this that Allah is the Creator of the earth and the heavens, but in fact He alone is the Master of all things found in the earth and heavens. Allah has not created his universe and left it to others to become masters of the whole or a part of it, but He Himself is Master of His creation and everything that exists in this universe is His. Here, He alone possesses divine rights and powers and no one else.”
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