(21–25) “Or have they taken gods from the earth who can raise the dead? Had there been in the heavens and earth gods other than Allah, both would certainly have fallen into ruin. Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Throne, far above what they ascribe to Him! He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned. Or have they taken gods besides Him? Say, ‘Bring your proof! Here is the Scripture of those with me and the Scripture of those before me.’ Yet most of them do not know the truth, so they turn away.”
After Allah Most High had made clear His perfect power and greatness and the submission of all things to Him, He denounced the polytheists for taking earthly gods besides Allah—gods that are utterly helpless and powerless. “Who can raise the dead?” This is a question conveying negation: they have no power to resurrect or gather them. This is explained by His words:
“They have taken gods besides Him who create nothing but are themselves created, who have no power either to harm or benefit themselves, and who have no power over death, life, or resurrection.”
And:
“They have taken gods besides Allah, hoping that they might be helped. Those gods cannot help them, although their worshippers stand ready as soldiers for them.”
Thus, the polytheist worships a created being that can neither benefit nor harm, while abandoning sincere devotion to Allah, to whom all perfection belongs and in whose hand lie all command, benefit, and harm. This results from his being denied divine guidance, his ill fortune, his profound ignorance, and his grievous wrongdoing. Indeed, existence can remain sound only under one God, just as it was brought into existence by only one Lord.
Hence He says: “Had there been in them”—that is, in the heavens and earth—“gods other than Allah, both would certainly have fallen into ruin”: they themselves would have been ruined, as would all the creatures within them.
The explanation is that the upper and lower worlds, as may be observed, exhibit the utmost soundness and order, without defect, flaw, obstruction, or conflict. This proves that their Governor is one, their Lord is one, and their God is one. Had they possessed two governors, two lords, or more, their order would have been disrupted and their foundations would have collapsed, for the two would obstruct and oppose one another. If one intended to govern a matter in one way while the other intended that it should not occur, both their intentions could not possibly be realized together. If the intention of one were realized to the exclusion of the other, that would demonstrate the latter’s weakness and lack of power. Nor could they possibly agree upon one and the same intention in every matter. It therefore necessarily follows that the all-subduing One whose will alone is fulfilled, without anyone obstructing or resisting Him, is Allah—the One, the All-Subduing.
For this reason, Allah cites the proof of mutual obstruction in His words:
“Allah has never taken a child, nor has there ever been any god alongside Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have sought to dominate others. Glory be to Allah, far above what they ascribe to Him!”
Another example—according to one of the two interpretations—is His saying:
“Say, ‘Had there been other gods alongside Him, as they claim, they would certainly have sought a way to the Lord of the Throne.’ Glory be to Him! Exalted is He far above what they say.”
Hence He says here: “Glory be to Allah”—that is, He is exalted and sanctified above every deficiency, for He alone is perfect—“Lord of the Throne,” which is the roof of creation and its vastest and greatest part. His lordship(1) over everything beneath it is therefore all the more evident. “Far above what they ascribe to Him”—that is, what the denying unbelievers ascribe to Him by alleging that He has a child or consort, or that He has a partner in any respect whatsoever.
“He is not questioned about what He does.” Because of His greatness, might, and perfect power, no one can obstruct or oppose Him in word or deed. Moreover, because of His perfect wisdom, His placement of all things in their proper places, and His perfecting of them in the finest manner reason can conceive, no question can properly be directed to Him, for His creation contains neither flaw nor deficiency.
“But they”—that is, all created beings—“will be questioned” about their deeds and words because of their weakness and need, and because they are servants whose every action and movement is rightfully subject to authority. They possess not even an atom’s weight of power to direct or govern either themselves or anyone else.
He then returns to condemning the polytheists for taking gods besides Him. Say to them in rebuke and reproach: “Or have they taken gods besides Him? Say, ‘Bring your proof!’” That is, bring your argument and evidence establishing the soundness of your position. They will never find any way to do so; rather, decisive proofs have established its falsity.
Hence He says: “Here is the Scripture of those with me and the Scripture of those before me.” That is, the scriptures and revealed laws all agree on the truth of what I have told you concerning the invalidity of polytheism. Here is Allah’s Book, which contains mention of all things together with rational and transmitted proofs, and here are all the previous scriptures, which furnish proofs and evidence for what I have said.
Since it is known that proof and evidence establishing the falsity of their position have been presented against them, it is also known that they possess no proof. A decisive proof establishes with certainty that no valid counterargument exists; otherwise, it would not be decisive. Any apparent objections that may be advanced are merely specious doubts that avail nothing against the truth.
His words, “Yet most of them do not know the truth,” mean that they persist in their ways merely by imitating their forefathers, arguing without knowledge or guidance. Their ignorance of the truth is not because it is hidden or obscure, but only because they turn away from it. Had they paid it even the slightest attention, the distinction between truth and falsehood would have become unmistakably clear to them. Hence He says: “So they turn away.”