Tafsir

سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ(Glorified and Exalted is He high above what they say!) meaning these idolators who transgress and do wrong when they claim that there are other gods besides Him.عُلُوّاً كَبِيراً(high above) means, far above. He is Allah, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable or coequal unto Him.

Commentary

According to the proof of Tauhid (the Oneness of Allah) given in the verse: إِذًا لَّابْتَغَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِي الْعَرْ‌شِ سَبِيلًا (then they would have found out a way to the Lord of the Throne - 42), Allah alone is the creator, owner and master of the entire universe. The argument is if it was not so and He had other partners in this godhead, differences would have necessarily emerged among them. And, in the eventuality of a difference, the whole universal system would have gone to ruins - because, ever abiding peace among them is habitually impossible. Though, this argument has been enunciated here in a prohibitive manner, but there are books of Scholastic Theology (` Ilm al-Kalam) where the logical rationale behind this argument has also been described in great details. The learned may consult these at their discretion.

تنزَّه الله وتقدَّس عَمَّا يقوله المشركون وتعالى علوًا كبيرًا.

ثم نزه نفسه الكريمة وقدسها فقال ( سبحانه وتعالى عما يقولون ) أي هؤلاء المشركون المعتدون الظالمون في زعمهم أن معه آلهة أخرى ( علوا كبيرا ) أي تعاليا كبيرا بل هو الله الأحد الصمد الذي لم يلد ولم يولد ولم يكن له كفوا أحد