اَمِ Or اتَّخَذُوْا (have) they taken مِنْ besides Him دُوْنِهٖۤ besides Him اٰلِهَةً ؕ gods قُلْ Say هَاتُوْا Bring بُرْهَانَكُمْ ۚ your proof هٰذَا This ذِكْرُ (is) a Reminder مَنْ (for those) who مَّعِیَ (are) with me وَ ذِكْرُ and a Reminder مَنْ (for those) who قَبْلِیْ ؕ (were) before me بَلْ But اَكْثَرُهُمْ most of them لَا (do) not یَعْلَمُوْنَ ۙ know الْحَقَّ the truth فَهُمْ so they مُّعْرِضُوْنَ (are) averse 21. Al-Anbya Page 324 وَ مَاۤ And not اَرْسَلْنَا We sent مِنْ before you قَبْلِكَ before you مِنْ any رَّسُوْلٍ Messenger اِلَّا but نُوْحِیْۤ We reveal(ed) اِلَیْهِ to him اَنَّهٗ that [He] لَاۤ (There is) no اِلٰهَ god اِلَّاۤ except اَنَا Me فَاعْبُدُوْنِ so worship Me وَ قَالُوا And they say اتَّخَذَ Has taken الرَّحْمٰنُ the Most Gracious وَلَدًا a son سُبْحٰنَهٗ ؕ Glorified is He! بَلْ Nay عِبَادٌ (they are) slaves مُّكْرَمُوْنَۙ honored لَا Not یَسْبِقُوْنَهٗ they (can) precede Him بِالْقَوْلِ in word وَ هُمْ and they بِاَمْرِهٖ by His command یَعْمَلُوْنَ act یَعْلَمُ He knows مَا what بَیْنَ (is) before them اَیْدِیْهِمْ (is) before them وَ مَا and what خَلْفَهُمْ (is) behind them وَ لَا and not یَشْفَعُوْنَ ۙ they (can) intercede اِلَّا except لِمَنِ for whom ارْتَضٰی He approves وَ هُمْ And they مِّنْ from خَشْیَتِهٖ fear of Him مُشْفِقُوْنَ stand in awe وَ مَنْ And whoever یَّقُلْ says مِنْهُمْ of them اِنِّیْۤ Indeed, I am اِلٰهٌ a god مِّنْ besides Him دُوْنِهٖ besides Him فَذٰلِكَ Then that نَجْزِیْهِ We will recompense جَهَنَّمَ ؕ (with) Hell كَذٰلِكَ Thus نَجْزِی We recompense الظّٰلِمِیْنَ۠ the wrongdoers
(21:24) Have they taken gods other than Him? Say, (O Muhammad): "Bring forth your proof! Here is the Book with admonition for those of my time and there are also scriptures with admonition for people before me."24 But most people do not know the Truth, and have, therefore, turned away from it.25
(21:25) Never did We send any Messenger before you to whom We did not reveal: "There is no god but Me. So serve Me alone."
(21:26) They say: "The Most Compassionate Lord has taken to Himself a son."26 Glory be to Him! Those whom they so designate are only His honoured servants.
(21:27) They do not outstrip Him in speech and only act as He commands.
(21:28) He knows whatever is before them and whatsoever is remote from them and they do not intercede except for him, intercession on whose behalf pleases Him, and they stand constantly in awe of Him.27
(21:29) And if anyone of them were to claim: "Indeed I am a god apart from Him," We shall recompense both with Hell. Thus do We recompense the wrong-doers.
24. The two arguments cited above were rational. Now a third argument is introduced; an argument that is based on authoritative texts. The present argument contends that the unbelievers cannot produce even a shred of evidence from any Scripture, regardless of the country, nation and Prophet upon whom it was bestowed, which even remotely suggests that there is any god other than the One True God, or that anyone other than Him deserves to be served and worshipped. That being the case, what kind of religion have they fabricated, for it neither conforms to the dictates of reason nor can be corroborated by the Scriptures?
25. If the unbelievers turn away from the teaching of the Prophet (peace be on him), such an attitude is obviously based on ignorance rather than knowledge. Since the unbelievers are ignorant of the truth, they have no inclination to heed those who expound the truth to them.
26. Once again the same angels, who according to the belief of the polytheists of Arabia were God’s daughters, are mentioned. This becomes quite evident from the discourse that follows. (See also n. 19 above — Ed.)
27. The Arabian polytheists used to worship angels for two reasons. First, they believed them to be God’s offspring. Second, they wanted to ingratiate themselves with them by means of worship so that they might intercede for them with God: ‘They say: ‘‘These are our intercessors with God’’ (Yunus 10: 18). ‘But those who take for protectors’ others than God say: ‘‘We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to God” (al-Zumar 39: 3). The verses of this surah show that both reasons, however, are false.
It is also worth remembering that while refuting such polytheistic beliefs about intercession, the Qur’an also emphasizes that those who are regarded as intercessors do not have knowledge of the unseen whereas God knows everything, both that which is evident to them as well as that which is hidden.
This makes the unbelievers question whether they are justified in investing those people with the absolute and unconditional power of intercession when those same people are not even aware of the whole record of those in whose favor they intend to intercede. The right to intercede, whether by angels, Prophets or saints, is subject to the condition that God alone permits them to intercede on someone else’s behalf. No one is entitled to intercede of his own accord: all is contingent upon God’s permission. Since it is God’s exclusive prerogative to hear and accept a plea on someone else’s behalf, or indeed not to do so, there is no reason for people to bow down in humility before anyone. For all creatures, including those who may be allowed to intercede, are powerless before God. (For further details see Ta Ha 20, nn. 85-6.)