Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 88

(Ayah 88) ➊ { وَ لَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللّٰهِ اِلٰهًا اٰخَرَ:} This is the fifth command: do not call upon any other deity with Allah. These five commands are for every human being, but by addressing you, firstly, it is meant to emphasize these commands for you, and secondly, although it is being recited to you, in reality, all other people are being warned. Because you (peace be upon you) were already acting upon these commands, and after Allah chose you for prophethood, there was no possibility of shirk from you, as this same point has been stated in a very stern tone elsewhere: «{ قُلْ اَفَغَيْرَ اللّٰهِ تَاْمُرُوْٓنِّيْۤ اَعْبُدُ اَيُّهَا الْجٰهِلُوْنَ (64) وَ لَقَدْ اُوْحِيَ اِلَيْكَ وَ اِلَى الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَىِٕنْ اَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَ لَتَكُوْنَنَّ مِنَ الْخٰسِرِيْنَ }» [ الزمر : ۶۴، ۶۵ ] "Say, then do you command me concerning other than Allah that I should worship them, O ignorant ones! And indeed, certainly, it has been revealed to you and to those before you that if you associate partners (with Allah), surely your deeds will become worthless and you will surely be among the losers." The purpose is that if there is no concession in this matter even for a prophet, then how could there be for anyone else.

➋ { لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ :} This is the sentence that is the summary of the call of Islam. Most surahs of the Noble Quran begin with the rejection of shirk and the call to tawheed, and also end with it. Here, three proofs for this claim have been stated.

➌ { كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ اِلَّا وَجْهَهٗ :} This is the first proof that none but Allah is worthy of worship, because He alone is everlasting, abiding, and the Ever-Living, Sustainer. All others must die; all are perishable. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to say: [ أَعُوْذُ بِعِزَّتِكَ الَّذِيْ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ الَّذِيْ لاَ يَمُوْتُ، وَالْجِنُّ وَالْإِنْسُ يَمُوْتُوْنَ ] [ بخاري، التوحید، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : «و ھو العزیز الحکیم … » : ۷۳۸۳ ] "I seek refuge in Your honor; You are the One besides whom there is no deity worthy of worship, and You never die, while the jinn and mankind die." Allah Almighty has said elsewhere: «{ كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ (26) وَّ يَبْقٰى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلٰلِ وَ الْاِكْرَامِ}» [ الرحمٰن : ۲۶، ۲۷ ] "Everyone upon it (the earth) will perish, and the Face of your Lord, full of majesty and honor, will remain." And it is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ أَصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا الشَّاعِرُ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيْدٍ : أَلاَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللّٰهَ بَاطِلٌ ] [بخاري، مناقب الأنصار، باب أیام الجاہلیۃ : ۳۸۴۱ ] "The truest statement ever spoken by a poet is the saying of Labid: Behold! Everything except Allah is false."

➍ { لَهُ الْحُكْمُ :} This is the second proof of Allah Almighty being the only deity: that in the universe, only His command prevails; no one else has the authority of {’’ كُنْ‘‘}.

➎ { وَ اِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُوْنَ :} This is the third proof of tawheed: that all people must return to Him and be presented before Him. All others themselves will be presented, so how could they become deities?

88-1. That is, do not worship anyone else, neither through supplication, nor through vows and offerings, nor through sacrifice, as all these are acts of worship that are exclusive to Allah alone. In the Quran, everywhere the worship of others besides Allah is described as calling upon them, the purpose of which is to clarify this very point: that calling upon others besides Allah in a supernatural way, seeking help from them, making supplications and entreaties to them—this is their worship, which makes a person a polytheist.

88-2. By "wajh" (his face) is meant the Essence of Allah, who is described as having a face. That is, everything besides Allah is doomed to perish and vanish.

88-3. That is, only His decision, whatever He wills, is enforced, and only His command, whatever He intends, prevails.

88-4. So that He may reward the righteous for their good deeds and punish the wicked for their evil deeds.

88. And do not call upon any other god along with Allah, for there is no god except Him [121]. Everything is bound to perish except His Face [122]. His is the command, and to Him you will all be returned [123].

[121] This is the statement that is the summary of the call to Islam. Most of the surahs of the Noble Quran also begin with the rejection of shirk and the call to tawheed, and they also end with such verses, from which it is clear that the most important subject of the Quran is this very matter.
[122] Everything is perishable. Whatever is created is certainly bound to perish. When will this perishing occur? On the Day of Judgment or even ages after that? Allah alone knows best. Just as Allah Himself is not created but is the Creator of everything, likewise, Allah’s attributes are also not created, such as the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) and the Pen, which are related to Allah’s attribute of knowledge. Some scholars say that there are eight things besides Allah that will not perish even on the Day of Judgment: Allah’s Throne and Chair, Paradise and Hell, the soul and the point of the tailbone (ajb al-dhanab), the Preserved Tablet, and the Pen. ﴿والله اعلم بالصواب﴾
[123] Since Allah alone is the Creator and Owner of everything, therefore, His command prevails over everything in the universe. And among jinn and humans, His command prevails in natural matters as well; however, in matters of choice, they have been commanded to remain bound by Allah’s command, and their well-being lies in this. As for the command to return to Allah in the Hereafter, this is not a matter of choice, but rather a command of Allah that will certainly come to pass. Then, on that day, only His command will prevail. Only His court will be established, and only His decisions will be enforced.