Tafsir

Refutation of false gods

Allah denounces those who take other gods instead of Him:أَمِ اتَّخَذُواْ آلِهَةً مِّنَ الاٌّرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ (Or have they taken gods from the earth who raise the dead) meaning, can they bring the dead back to life and bring them forth from the earth They cannot do any of that, so how can they make them rivals to Allah and worship them alongside Him Then Allah tells us that if there were another god besides Him, the heavens and the earth would be ruined:لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَآ آلِهَةٌ(Had there been therein gods) means, in the heavens and the earth,لَفَسَدَتَا(then verily, both would have been ruined.) This is like the Ayah:مَا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ مِن وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنْ إِلَـهٍ إِذاً لَّذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَـهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلاَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ سُبْحَـنَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ (No son did Allah beget, nor is there any god along with Him. Then each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to overcome others! Glorified be Allah above all that they attribute to Him!) 23:91.

And Allah says here:فَسُبْحَـنَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ(Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, above all that they associate with Him!) meaning, glorified be He above what they say about Him having offspring or partners; glorified and exalted and sanctified be He far above all the lies that they fabricate.لاَ يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَلُونَ (He cannot be questioned about what He does, while they will be questioned.) He is the Ruler Whose rule cannot be overturned and none can object to it, because of His might, majesty, pride, knowledge, wisdom, justice and subtlety.وَهُمْ يُسْـَلُونَ(while they will be questioned.) means, He is the One Who will ask His creation about what they did. This is like the Ayah:فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْـَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ - عَمَّا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ (So, by your Lord, We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do.) 15:92-93وَهُوَ يُجْيِرُ وَلاَ يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ(And He protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector) 23:88

Only a Being which has these powers is worthy of being worship لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّـهُ لَفَسَدَتَا (Had there been gods in them [ the heavens and the earth ] other than Allah, both would have fallen in disorder. - 21:22). This is an argument of common nature in favour of the Oneness of Allah which is based on common practice. It is also a logical proof of the oneness of God and a great deal of literature is available to explain it in the books on theology (عِلمُ الکلَام). The argument of common nature is that if there were two Gods, each independent and sovereign, then the commands of both would prevail on the earth and in the sky which is not possible, because it is inconceivable that both of them would have common views on all matters. And if there are differences of opinion which is inevitable where power is shared, there could be conflict, which would always lead to chaos and confusion. The suggestion that the two Gods could consult each other before passing orders has been adequately discussed, and rejected, in the books of theology.

The thing to note is that if the two Gods had to take decisions jointly, then neither of them would have been sovereign, and a god with divided sovereignty is not God.

لو كان في السموات والأرض آلهة غير الله سبحانه وتعالى تدبر شؤونهما، لاختلَّ نظامهما، فتنزَّه الله رب العرش، وتقدَّس عَمَّا يصفه الجاحدون الكافرون، من الكذب والافتراء وكل نقص.

فقال ( لو كان فيهما آلهة ) أي : في السماء والأرض ، ( لفسدتا ) ، كقوله تعالى : ( ما اتخذ الله من ولد وما كان معه من إله إذا لذهب كل إله بما خلق ولعلا بعضهم على بعض سبحان الله عما يصفون ) [ المؤمنون : 91 ] ، وقال هاهنا : ( فسبحان الله رب العرش عما يصفون ) أي : عما يقولون إن له ولدا أو شريكا ، سبحانه وتعالى وتقدس وتنزه عن الذي يفترون ويأفكون علوا كبيرا .