سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 51
۞ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ إِلَـٰهَيْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۖ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۖ فَإِيَّـٰىَ فَٱرْهَبُونِ ﴿51﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And Allâh said (O mankind!): "Take not ilâhain (two gods in worship). Verily, He (Allâh) is (the) only One Ilâh (God). Then, fear Me (Allâh جل جلاله) much [and Me (Alone), i.e. be away from all kinds of sins and evil deeds that Allâh has forbidden and do all that Allâh has ordained and worship none but Allâh].
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ وَقَالَ
waqāla
And Allah has said
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
And Allah has said
لَا
lā
(Do) not
تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟
tattakhidhū
take
إِلَـٰهَيْنِ
ilāhayni
[two] gods
ٱثْنَيْنِ ۖ
ith'nayni
two
إِنَّمَا
innamā
only
هُوَ
huwa
He
إِلَـٰهٌۭ
ilāhun
(is) God
وَٰحِدٌۭ ۖ
wāḥidun
One
فَإِيَّـٰىَ
fa-iyyāya
so Me Alone
فَٱرْهَبُونِ
fa-ir'habūni
you fear [Me]
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
51. Allah has said: Do not take two gods [50]; there is only One God, so fear Me alone.
[50]
Introduction to the Magian Religion, Which Holds the Belief in Two Gods:
During the Prophetic era ﷺ, the Magian religion was prevalent in Iran. These people were sun worshippers and fire worshippers. They claimed to be followers of Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ and were enemies of all other prophets. According to their belief, God is not one but two. One is the God of goodness and light, whom they called Yazdan, and the other is the God of evil and darkness, whom they called Ahriman. They named their revealed books Zend and Avesta, and the people of Arabia were familiar with them. Referring to the belief of these people, Allah Almighty said to abandon making two gods, because the God of this universe can only be one. If there were two gods of equal standing, they would certainly have conflicted with each other regarding the management of the universe, and each would try to overpower the other. In this way, the system of the universe would have been disrupted long ago. When you know from experience that two swords cannot fit in one sheath, nor can there be two rulers in one kingdom, then how can the concept of two gods ruling this universe be considered correct?
[50]
Introduction to the Magian Religion, Which Holds the Belief in Two Gods:
During the Prophetic era ﷺ, the Magian religion was prevalent in Iran. These people were sun worshippers and fire worshippers. They claimed to be followers of Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ and were enemies of all other prophets. According to their belief, God is not one but two. One is the God of goodness and light, whom they called Yazdan, and the other is the God of evil and darkness, whom they called Ahriman. They named their revealed books Zend and Avesta, and the people of Arabia were familiar with them. Referring to the belief of these people, Allah Almighty said to abandon making two gods, because the God of this universe can only be one. If there were two gods of equal standing, they would certainly have conflicted with each other regarding the management of the universe, and each would try to overpower the other. In this way, the system of the universe would have been disrupted long ago. When you know from experience that two swords cannot fit in one sheath, nor can there be two rulers in one kingdom, then how can the concept of two gods ruling this universe be considered correct?
