[9] Exalt Allah and His Shariah First and Foremost

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allah, The Most High, said:

أَمْ اتَّخَذُوا آلِهَةً مِنْ الأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ

لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

لاَ يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ

أَمْ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ آلِهَةً قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ هَذَا ذِكْرُ مَنْ مَعِيَ وَذِكْرُ مَنْ قَبْلِي بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ الْحَقَّ فَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُول ٍإِلاَّ نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ

Or have they taken (for worship) aliha (gods) from the earth who raise the dead? Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above what they attribute to Him! He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned. Or have they taken for worship (other) aliha (gods) besides Him? Say: “Bring your proof:” This (the Qur’an) is the Reminder for those with me and the Reminder for those before me. But most of them know not the Truth, so they are averse. And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) but We inspired him (saying): La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and no one else).” [Al-Anbiyaa. 21-25]

Allah, The Exalted, stated His disapproval of the polytheists – those who (worship things adopted as)gods in the earth, even though these gods are absolutely incapacitated and powerless. Neither are they are able to bring them back to life nor resurrect them, and this is further explained by the statement of Allah:

وَاتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ آلِهَةً لاَ يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ وَلاَ يَمْلِكُونَ ِلأَنفُسِهِمْ ضَرًّا وَلاَ نَفْعًا وَلاَ يَمْلِكُونَ مَوْتًا وَلاَ حَيَاةً وَلاَ نُشُورًا

Yet they have taken besides Him other aliha (gods) that created nothing but are themselves created, and possess neither hurt nor benefit for themselves, and possess no power (of causing) death, nor (of giving) life, nor of raising the dead. [Al-Furqan. 3]

Allah said:

وَاتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ آلِهَةً لَعَلَّهُمْ يُنصَرُونَ

لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُمْ جُندٌ مُحْضَرُونَ

And they have taken besides Allah aliha (gods), hoping that they might be helped (by those so-called gods). They cannot help them, but they will be brought forward as a troop against those who worshipped them (at the time of Reckoning). [YaaSin 74-75]

A polytheist worships a created thing that can neither benefit nor harm, and he abandons worshipping Allah sincerely – The One Who is Perfect, and in His Hand is the absolute control over all benefit and harm. This shows that a polytheist is not blessed, his ignorance is clearly established as well as the severity of his unjust behaviour towards Allah, for indeed it is only befitting that there is only one [true] deity, just as there cannot be except one [true] Lord. And because of this, Allah [The Exalted] said:

لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allaah, then verily both [i.e. the heavens and the earth] would have been ruined. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above what they attribute to Him! [Al-Anbiya. 22]

Meaning, both the heavens and the earth would have been ruined as well the creation within them. The heavens and the earth – as one can see – are in a perfect state, intact and in perfect order. Neither is there any defect in them and obstacles (to its perfect order) nor conflict in its organisation. Thus, this shows that the One who controls and regulates its affairs is One- its Lord is one and the deity (under whose control they are maintained) is One. If it were the case that the heavens and the earth have two (deities) that control and regulate its affairs- two lords or more, then its perfect order would have been ruined and its foundations would have been undermined. This is because they would have been obstacles and opponents to one another; so if one of them wishes to plan and administer something and the other one wishes that it should not take place, it would be impossible for both their wishes to be fulfilled. The fulfilment of the wishes of one would have shown that the other one is weak and unable do whatever he wants, and it is impossible that both of them will agree on everything. Therefore, the wish of The Irresistible [i.e. Allah- the only True Lord and besides Him every other deity is false]- is what will be fulfilled without anyone being able to prevent or repel it. This is why Allah [The Exalted] said:

مَا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ مِنْ وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِذًا لَذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلاَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

No son (or offspring or children) did Allah beget, nor is there any ilah (god) along with Him; (if there had been many gods), behold, 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! [Al-Muminun. 91]

An Excerpt from Tafsir As-Sadi.