سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 42
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ مَعَهُۥٓ ءَالِهَةٌ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذًا لَّٱبْتَغَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ ذِى ٱلْعَرْشِ سَبِيلًا ﴿42﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم to these polytheists, pagans): "If there had been other âlihah (gods) along with Him as they assert, then they would certainly have sought out a way to the Lord of the Throne (seeking His Pleasures and to be near to Him).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قُل
qul
Say
لَّوْ
law
If
كَانَ
kāna
(there) were
مَعَهُۥٓ
maʿahu
with Him
ءَالِهَةٌۭ
ālihatun
gods
كَمَا
kamā
as
يَقُولُونَ
yaqūlūna
they say
إِذًۭا
idhan
then
لَّٱبْتَغَوْا۟
la-ib'taghaw
surely they (would) have sought
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
ذِى
dhī
(the) Owner
ٱلْعَرْشِ
l-ʿarshi
(of) the Throne
سَبِيلًۭا
sabīlan
a way
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.
42. Say: If there were other gods with Him, as they claim, then they would surely have sought a way [52] to the Lord of the Throne.
[52]
The Inevitable Result of Multiple Gods:
In this verse, the address is to that particular type of polytheists who have invented countless gods and goddesses and consider them to have authority over various things. For example, one is the god of rain, another is the god of fruits, one is the goddess of wealth, another of love, one is the god of death, and another of life. One aspect of refuting this belief is that if these gods were to exercise their respective authorities, the entire system of the universe would be thrown into chaos. For instance, if the god of famine wanted to stop rain and the god of rain wanted to bring rain, then due to their opposition, the system and harmony of the universe could not be maintained. However, the aspect being highlighted here is the second one, which is that every authority-holder always tries to expand his powers further, and in fact, every authority-holder desires to somehow acquire complete power and control. Now, such minor authorities form a united front against the greater authority in order to deprive him of power. As can be seen even with a cursory glance at today’s democratic systems, the political party in power is always opposed by all the opposition parties, who try to pull down the ruling party and deprive it of power, and often they succeed in their objective. This is the very example Allah the Exalted has presented here: that if, in reality, besides Allah there were any other gods or goddesses with authority, they would certainly try to deprive the greater authority—Allah or the Supreme God—of His power and control. And since this has never actually happened, the clear result is that those deities whom you consider to be authorities are not authorities at all, and their existence in this universe is impossible.
[52]
The Inevitable Result of Multiple Gods:
In this verse, the address is to that particular type of polytheists who have invented countless gods and goddesses and consider them to have authority over various things. For example, one is the god of rain, another is the god of fruits, one is the goddess of wealth, another of love, one is the god of death, and another of life. One aspect of refuting this belief is that if these gods were to exercise their respective authorities, the entire system of the universe would be thrown into chaos. For instance, if the god of famine wanted to stop rain and the god of rain wanted to bring rain, then due to their opposition, the system and harmony of the universe could not be maintained. However, the aspect being highlighted here is the second one, which is that every authority-holder always tries to expand his powers further, and in fact, every authority-holder desires to somehow acquire complete power and control. Now, such minor authorities form a united front against the greater authority in order to deprive him of power. As can be seen even with a cursory glance at today’s democratic systems, the political party in power is always opposed by all the opposition parties, who try to pull down the ruling party and deprive it of power, and often they succeed in their objective. This is the very example Allah the Exalted has presented here: that if, in reality, besides Allah there were any other gods or goddesses with authority, they would certainly try to deprive the greater authority—Allah or the Supreme God—of His power and control. And since this has never actually happened, the clear result is that those deities whom you consider to be authorities are not authorities at all, and their existence in this universe is impossible.
