(165–167). Then the Exalted said:
“Among the people are those who take others besides Allah as rivals, loving them as they love Allah. But those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah. If only those who have wronged could see, when they behold the punishment, that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment. When those who were followed disown those who followed them, they behold the punishment, and all bonds between them are severed. Those who followed will say, ‘If only we could return once more, we would disown them as they have disowned us.’ Thus Allah will show them their deeds as bitter regrets, and they will never emerge from the Fire.”
How beautifully this verse connects with what precedes it! After the Exalted had explained His oneness and presented its definitive proofs and radiant arguments—leading to certain knowledge and dispelling every doubt—He states here that, despite this complete clarification, “among the people” are those who take created beings as rivals to Allah—that is, as peers and equals—treating them as equals with Allah in worship, love, veneration, and obedience.
Anyone who remains in such a state after the proof has been established and monotheism clearly explained is known to be obstinately opposing Allah and setting himself against Him, or else turning away from contemplating His signs and reflecting upon His creation. He has not the slightest excuse for this; rather, the sentence of punishment has become due against him.
Those who take rivals alongside Allah ⦗80⦘ do not regard them as equal to Him in creation, provision, and governance. They regard them as equal to Him only in worship: they worship them so that they may bring them nearer to Him. The phrase “take as rivals” indicates that Allah has no rival; it is merely the polytheists who have made some created beings into rivals to Him—a mere designation and an empty expression devoid of reality. As the Exalted said:
“They assign partners to Allah. Say, ‘Name them! Or are you informing Him of something on earth that He does not know, or are these merely outward words?’”
“They are nothing but names that you and your forefathers have devised, for which Allah has sent down no authority. They follow nothing but conjecture.”
No created being is a rival to Allah, for Allah is the Creator and all besides Him are created. He is the Lord who provides, while all besides Him receive provision. Allah is self-sufficient, while you are poor and needy. He is perfect in every respect, while His servants are deficient in every respect. Allah alone brings benefit and harm, whereas no created being possesses any share in benefit, harm, or command.
It is therefore known with absolute certainty that the claim of anyone who takes gods and rivals besides Allah is false, whether the object taken is an angel, a prophet, a righteous person, an idol, or anything else. Allah alone deserves complete love and utter humility. For this reason, Allah praised the believers in His words, “But those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah”—that is, stronger than the devotees of rivals are in their love for those rivals. This is because the believers devote their love sincerely to Him, whereas the others associate partners with Him in their love. The believers love the One who truly deserves love, love for whom is the very essence of a servant’s well-being, happiness, and success. The polytheists, however, love those who deserve no love whatsoever, and loving them is the very essence of a servant’s misery, corruption, and disarray.
For this reason, Allah threatened them in His words, “If only those who have wronged could see”—those who wronged by taking rivals, submitting to other than the Lord of all servants, and wronging others by barring them from Allah’s path and striving to bring them harm.
“When they behold the punishment”—that is, when they see it plainly with their own eyes on the Day of Resurrection—“that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment.” They would then know with certainty that all strength and power belong to Allah and that their rivals possess no power whatsoever. On that Day, the weakness and helplessness of those rivals will become clear to them, unlike in this world, when the matter was confused to them and they imagined that their rivals possessed some control and could bring them near to Allah and grant them access to Him. Their assumption will be disappointed, their efforts will come to nothing, and the severe punishment will become due against them. Their rivals will not repel any of it from them or avail them in the slightest. Rather, harm will come to them through the very beings from whom they expected benefit.
Those who were followed will disown their followers, and all the bonds that existed between them in this world will be severed. Those bonds had been formed for something other than Allah, contrary to Allah’s command, and were attached to a falsehood that had no reality. Their deeds will therefore come to nothing, their entire condition will disintegrate, and it will become clear that they were liars. The deeds from which they had hoped to benefit and obtain the desired result will turn into bitter regret and remorse, and they will remain in the Fire forever, never to emerge. What loss could be greater than this?
That is because they followed falsehood, performed false deeds, placed their hopes where no hope could rightly be placed, and clung to what could not be relied upon. Their deeds became null because the object to which they were directed was false. When those deeds came to nothing, their disappointed hopes brought them bitter regret, harming them to the utmost degree.
By contrast, whoever holds fast to Allah—the true and manifest Sovereign—devotes his deeds sincerely to Him and hopes for benefit from Him has placed truth in its rightful place. His deeds are valid and sound because they are directed to the Truth. He therefore attains the fruit of his deeds and finds with his Lord an unfailing reward. As the Exalted said:
“Those who disbelieve and bar others from the path of Allah—He has rendered their deeds fruitless. But those who believe, perform righteous deeds, and believe in what was sent down to Muhammad—and it is the truth from their Lord—He will absolve them of their sins and set their condition aright. That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood, while those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus Allah sets forth for people their likenesses.”
At that point, the followers will wish to be returned to this world so that they may disown those whom they followed by abandoning the association of partners with Allah and devoting their deeds sincerely to Him alone. But how impossible! The opportunity has passed, and this is no longer the time for reprieve or delay. Even so, they are liars: if they were returned, they would revert to what they had been forbidden. What they say is nothing more than empty words and wishes born of resentment and fury toward those they followed for having disowned them, though the blame is their own.
The foremost of all those followed into evil is Iblīs. Yet when the matter has been decided, he will say to his followers:
“Indeed, Allah made you a true promise. I also made you a promise, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you and you responded to me. So do not blame me; blame yourselves.”