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wa-qāla llāhu lā tattakhidhū ʾilāhayni thnayni ʾinnamā huwa ʾilāhun wāḥidun fa-ʾiyyāya fa-rhabūni
Allah has said, ‘Do not worship two gods. Indeed He is the One God, so be in awe of Me [alone].’
— Ali Quli Qarai
16An-NaḥlالنحلVerse 51 of 128
The Bee16. An-Naḥlالنحل
Al Naḥl
The Bee
MeccanVerse 51 of 128
Surah An-Nahl – Verse 51
51. “And Allah has said: ‘Do not take two gods. Verily, He is only One God; hence, fear Me (and Me alone).”
The objective in declaring here that you must not designate for yourselves two gods is not the fact that you must and you are allowed to designate three gods. On the other hand, firstly, the total and the least negation imply the utmost negation in it as well. Secondly, the objective of this verse, perhaps is the ideas of those pagans who used to say: We have got One God Who is the Creator, and one who is administrator, and we must direct our worshipping towards the later one. 1
As for the query of the pagans who raised this issue in some previous verses that: if Allah so wanted, we would not become pagans, this verse states that Allah has dissuaded you from paganism, hence, how can He have intended you to become pagans? Therefore, Allah has ordained you not to designate two gods for yourselves. The verse says:
“And Allah has said: ‘Do not take two gods. Verily, He is only One God…”
The unity in the system of creation and the unity governing its laws and procedures are themselves clues as to the unity of Allah. Such being the case, He declares: Fear My punishment only and fear opposition to My commandments and nothing else. The verse continues saying:
“…hence, fear Me (and Me alone).”
The fact that the Qur’anic word /’iyyaya/, which proceeds, is the proof for its confinements and limitations, which implies only and solely fear opposition to Me and My punishment. Another example of this form is:
“You (alone) do we worship and of you (only) do we seek help.” 2
The great commentator, the Late Tabarsi quotes a delicate sentence from some philosophers under this verse, saying:
“Allah has commanded you not to worship two gods, but you fabricated so many gods for yourself. Your unruly self is one idol, your whims and passions are regarded as other idols, and the world and your material objectives are your other idols. You even prostrate before other human beings; so how can you be a monotheist?!”
Footnotes