Surah Faatir (35) — Ayah 40

(Ayah 40) ➊ { قُلْ اَرَءَيْتُمْ شُرَكَآءَكُمُ الَّذِيْنَ تَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ … :} That is, Allah Almighty granted you succession on the earth, yet you associated others with Him in worship, and began to call upon them and ask from them. So tell me, what proof do you have for this? Have those partners whom you call upon besides Allah created the earth or anything in it? If they have, then show me what that thing is. (See Hajj: 73; Ra’d: 16) Or do they have any share in the heavens? Then point it out. Or have We given them any written authority, which proves that so-and-so has been granted the power to cure the sick, provide for the unemployed, or fulfill the needs of the needy, and therefore you should ask all these things from them and be grateful to them? If there is such a writing, then bring it forth. And if there is not—and certainly there is not—then think for yourselves, why are you committing such a great injustice against your own souls? Allah Almighty has mentioned the same thing in Surah Al-Ahqaf (4) as well.

➋ { بَلْ اِنْ يَّعِدُ الظّٰلِمُوْنَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا اِلَّا غُرُوْرًا :} That is, the matter is not that any of these partners have any authority; rather, the real truth is that all these wrongdoers involved in the business of shirk, these false leaders and spiritual guides, these pundits, priests, soothsayers and fortune-tellers, these custodians and their agents, are merely making false promises to one another, such as: if you go to such-and-such shrine, you will have children; if you seek help from such-and-such saints, your hard-hearted beloved will become affectionate; every wish is fulfilled at such-and-such shrine. In short, this entire business runs on deception and false promises, as He said: « يَعِدُهُمْ وَ يُمَنِّيْهِمْ وَ مَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطٰنُ اِلَّا غُرُوْرًا» [النساء : ۱۲۰ ] “He promises them and fills them with hopes, but Satan promises them nothing but delusion.” And on the Day of Resurrection, Satan will clearly say: « اِنَّ اللّٰهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَ وَعَدْتُّكُمْ فَاَخْلَفْتُكُمْ۠ » [ إبراہیم : ۲۲ ] “Indeed, Allah promised you a true promise, and I promised you, but I broke my promise to you.”

40. 1. That is, We have not sent down to them any book in which it is written that I also have some partners who share and participate in the creation of the heavens and the earth.

40. 2. That is, none of these things exist; rather, they have always been misleading each other among themselves. Their leaders used to say that these deities would benefit them, bring them closer to Allah, and intercede for them. Or these things were said to the polytheists by the devils, or by this is meant the promise they made to each other in front of one another that they would prevail over the Muslims, which gave them the courage to persist in disbelief.

40. Say to these disbelievers: "Have you seen your partners whom you call upon besides Allah? Show me what part of the earth they have created, or do they have any share in the heavens? Or have We given them a book [44] so that they have a clear proof from it?" Nay, the wrongdoers promise each other nothing but delusion [45].

[44]
Possible Foundations for the Legitimacy of Partners?

That is, what is the basis upon which you people have made those deities partners with Allah in His powers and authority? One basis could be that they too have created a tenth or twentieth part of the universe. Another basis could be that, although they did not create any separate part of the universe, when Allah was creating the universe, your deities assisted Allah in that process, and thus they too could have some right in powers and authority. A third basis could be that Allah Himself has written them a letter of authority, stating that the people of such-and-such region should present their requests to such-and-such shrine or such-and-such saint, and should call upon them, and should offer their vows and offerings in their presence. Or that such-and-such personalities have been given the authority to cure such-and-such diseases, and if the unemployed want employment, they should go to such-and-such saint. He can fulfill your needs, and can rectify your problems, and if he wishes, he can also cause harm. If We have written any such certificate in any heavenly book, then show it. And if none of these three things exist, then have you yourselves become the monopolists of Allah’s powers and authority? And have you, on your own accord, distributed shares of these powers among your respective deities and spiritual leaders?

[45]
The Real Foundation of Shirk is Idol Worship:

It is not so; rather, the real truth is that these priests and gurus and their disciples, or these revered saints and their followers, these pure ones and the caretakers of graves, together, for the sake of their worldly interests, are deceiving the common people and serving their own ends. To promote their own businesses, they invent various stories and tales, then widely propagate them, saying that such-and-such person is highly accomplished. If you hold onto his garment, he will intercede for his disciples and surely get them forgiven by Allah. Such-and-such person had no children in his destiny, but such-and-such saint insisted to Allah and got him seven sons. And such-and-such person went to such-and-such grave and did such-and-such act, and within a few days, he was ruined and destroyed. Their businesses run solely on the basis of lies and propaganda, and their worldly interests are attached to this. Allah has never delegated His powers and authority to any servant.