Who is meant by the expression "besides Allah"?
The polytheism that is being tried to be hidden...
The phrase "min dunillah," which appears frequently in the Quran and is used in verses promoting polytheism, never has the meaning of "abandoning God" or "other than God" or "except than God" or "instead of God" or "rather than God" as it is used in traditional interpretations. On the contrary, the Quran uses this expression to emphasize the fact that polytheists do not deny God, a fact clearly stated by the Quran:
If you were to ask them: "Who has created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon?"
They will surely reply: "Allah." How then are they deviating (as polytheists and disbelievers)?
What the polytheists do is not to deny or reject God, but to beleive in deities besides God. In fact, the preposition "dun" in arabic means "next to" or "in the vicinity."
None of the verses we will examine shortly mention "Taking protectors other than Allah." Instead , the phrase "taking protectors besides God" is used. The preposition used is "min dunillah." To avoid disturbing traditional beliefs, this has been translated as "min ghayrillah" (except than God). Such a translation is incorrect.
The truth is that the words "dun" and "ghayr" can be used interchangeably in texts outside the Quran, but they can never be used in the Quran. The Quran itself has established that they cannot be used. How? By using both approximately the same number of times. If one could be used interchangeably, the Quran would use only one, or perhaps more than one (for example, "ghayr"). In that case, this usage would suggest that we can use "dunillah" instead of "ghayrillah." But this is not the case. The Quran, by its use of these two words, emphasizes that they are not interchangeable, especially in verses that mention God.
The use of "Ghayrillah" does not express polytheism, but idolatry. Because in idolatry, Allah is not accepted and something else is made a god instead of Allah.
This is not the case with the use of "min dunillah". The use of "min dunillah" does not denote idolatry, but polytheism. In other words, the use of "min dunillah" highlights the perversion of those who accept God but add deities besides or near to Allah as a helper, protector, forgiver etc.
The Quran has consistently used the expression 'min dunillah' in the verses that condemn polytheism and its extension, sainthood(with Quran terms Auliya-plural form of veli(protector,helper)).
It is also incorrect to translate the phrase "min dunillah" as "other than Allah ." This expression creates the impression and belief that Allah has been abandoned and replaced by someone or something else. The translation must be such a way that the reader understands that in this perversion, Allah is not abandoned, but rather that He is believed in, but that some besides gods, or those who claim to be, have been placed alongside and in addition to Him.
This means that someone who engages in polytheism acknowledges God, glorifies and sanctifies Him, but when it comes to God, they base their relationship with a company headed by God. This is why polytheism is called polytheism; worshipping someone else instead of God is not polytheism. Polytheism cannot exist without a company and without God being at the head of this company. If there is no company but only one god besides God, or if there is a company but God is not at the head of it, this is not polytheism but idolatry. To speak of polytheism, there must be a company of gods, and God will be the chief partner of this company.
Now, let's consider the verses. The following verse clearly indicates that the phrase "Besides God" does not mean anything other than God. This is because, according to Christian belief in the Trinity, God is thought of alongside the Son and the Holy Spirit. In other words, what is meant is not a separate or distinct deity from God, but rather beings alongside Him, and thought of as intermediaries in reaching Him.
And when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): "O 'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: 'Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?' " He will say: "Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner-self though I do not know what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the All-Knower of all that is hidden and unseen.
Similarly, the text also touches upon the issue of people who speak in the name of religion and Jesus being taken as lords besides Allah.
They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah), and (they also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they (Jews and Christians) were commanded [in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)). Praise and glory be to Him, (far above is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)."
Say (O Muhammad SAW): "O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims."
Verily, those whom you call upon besides Allah are slaves like you. So call upon them and let them answer you if you are truthful.!
O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke(call) besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer(seeker) and pursued(sought).
Do then those who disbelieve think that they can take My slaves [i.e., the angels, Allah's Messengers, Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), etc.] as Auliya' (lords, gods, protectors, etc.) besides Me? Verily, We have prepared Hell as an entertainment(lodging) for the disbelievers.
And he said: You have only taken for yourselves idols besides Allah by way of love between you in this world's life, then on the resurrection day some of you shall deny others, and some of you shall curse others, and your abode is the fire, and you shall not have any helpers.
Those whom they invoke(call) besides Allah have not created anything, but are themselves created.
Allah Almighty has explained the purpose of those who take protectors and helpers in the following verse:
Surely, the religion is for Allah only.
And those who take Auliya' (protectors and helpers) besides Him (say): "We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah." Verily, Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever.
Let us read from the great commentator Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's commentary, Mafatih al-Ghayb, that in this verse, when we say "them", we are talking directly about intelligent beings, not idols:
Know that the pronoun "...to them..." in the verse refers to deities worshipped besides Allah, and these are divided into two categories: intelligent and inane. As for deities possessing intellect, some people have worshipped, for example, Jesus (pbuh), Ezra (pbuh), and the angels. Many people have worshipped the sun, the moon, and the stars, believing them to be living beings capable of thinking and speaking. As for deities worshipped, which lack life and intellect, these are also idols.
When you fully understand this, we say: (Let's say) this statement put forward by the unbelievers is a suitable statement for these gods who possess intellect. But this statement is not at all suitable for those who lack intellect. We can explain this in two ways:
The pronoun "hum" in statement
a) is a pronoun that is related to intelligent people. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for it to be related to idols.
b) It's not unlikely that those unbelievers believed that Jesus (pbuh), Ezra (pbuh), and the angels would intercede for them with God (they may have). However, it's unreasonable for a person to believe that idols and inanimate objects will bring them closer to God. Based on this assumption, their goal is to believe that worshiping them will bring them closer to God.
In conclusion, we can say that the idolaters may say, "The greatest god is one who is exalted and exalted above all human worship. Humanity's duty is to worship the greatest of Allah's servants and creatures, such as the stars, the celestial spirits (and Jesus (pbuh), Ezra (pbuh), the angels, etc.). Their duty (i.e., those they turn to) is to occupy themselves with worshipping the greatest god." This is what is meant by their words in the verse, " We worship them only so that they may bring us closer to Allah."
They have taken gods besides Allah, [hoping] that they might be helped [by the fake deities].
And they have taken besides Allah [false] deities that they would be for them [a source of] honor.
Then why did those whom they had taken for gods besides Allah, as a way of approach (to Allah) not help them? Nay, but they vanished completely from them. And that was their lie, and their inventions which they had been inventing (before their destruction).
If we briefly list the purposes:
1- Only to bring us closer to Allah.
2- Hoping that they will be helped
3- So that they may be a source of respect for themselves.
4- Only for the sake of a special love for the worldly life among you.
5- To gain closeness to them
The following verse demonstrates that people should not pray to others besides God, as they are already unaware of these prayers. The use of the phrase "until the Day of Judgment" specifically emphasizes that no one, even dead, will be able to respond, and that no one will be able to respond until then. In other words, this door has been closed to prevent the possibility of such people emerging after a certain period of time.
4. Say (O Muhammad SAW to these pagans): "Think! All that you invoke besides Allah show me! What have they created of the earth? Or have they a share in (the creation of) the heavens? Bring me a Book (revealed before this), or some trace of knowledge (in support of your claims), if you are truthful!"
5.And who is more astray than one who calls (invokes) besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them?
Again, the fact that Almighty God asks the following question to those who are worshipped very clearly and explicitly is clear evidence that they are human beings.
17.And on the Day when He will gather them together and that which they worship besides Allah [idols, angels, pious men, saints, Isa (Jesus) - son of Maryam (Mary), etc.]. He will say: "Was it you who misled these My slaves or did they (themselves) stray from the (Right) Path?"
18.They will say: "Glorified be You! It was not for us to take any Auliya' (Protectors, Helpers, etc.) besides You, but You gave them and their fathers comfort till they forgot the warning, and became a lost people (doomed to total loss).
Who is more unjust(zalimun) than one who invents a lie against Allah or rejects His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.)? For such their appointed portion (good things of this worldly life and their period of stay therein) will reach them from the Book (of Decrees) until, when Our Messengers (the angel of death and his assistants) come to them to take their souls, they (the angels) will say: "Where are those whom you used to invoke and worship besides Allah," they will reply, "They have vanished and deserted us." And they will bear witness against themselves, that they were disbelievers.
73.Then it will be said to them: "Where are (all) those whom you used to join in worship as partners
74."Besides Allah" They will say: "They have vanished from us: Nay, we did not invoke (worship) anything before." Thus Allah leads astray(away from the correct path or direction) the disbelievers.
And when those who associated partners with Allah see their (Allah's so-called) partners, they will say: "Our Lord! These are our partners whom we used to invoke besides you." But they will throw back their word at them (and say): "Surely! You indeed are liars!"
There are also reports of individuals who, in addition to believing in God, proclaim themselves divine. In this century, no one who claims to be God will find anyone who believes in them, and in our time, a considerable number of people claim, "I, too, have similar functions and powers, like God's, and I bring you closer to Him."
And if any of them should say: "Verily, I am an ilah (a god) besides Him (Allah)," such a one We should recompense with Hell. Thus We recompense the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.).
The following warning is a message that even if this is being said to the prophets, don't even attempt it. Furthermore, what needs to be done is clearly laid out: Be devoted servants of the Lord by teaching the Book.
It is not (possible) for a human being unto whom Allah hath vouchsafed(has given) the Book and Wisdom(Al-Hukma) and prophethood that he should thereafter say unto men: "be you worshippers of me, beside Allah"; but (he would say) "be you faithful servants(Rabbaniyun) of the Lord", seeing that you are wont(habited) to teach the Books and seeing that you are wont to exercise yourselves therein.
The verse below speaks of those who invoke partners besides God. After stating that there is no book or evidence to prove this partnership, the verse describes those who believe in this partnership as wrongdoers, promising each other nothing but deception. This clearly demonstrates that both those deceived by this partnership and those who deceive are human.
Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Tell me or inform me (what) do you think about your partnergods to whom you call upon besides Allah, show me, what they have created of the earth? Or have they any share in the heavens? Or have We given them a Book, so that they act on clear proof therefrom? Nay, the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.) promise one another nothing but delusions(a false belief or judgment about external reality,)."
The following verse also indicates that those worshipped besides God will be sent to Hell, whether they are jinn or humans. At this point, not only the worshipper but also the worshiped will be punished for their polytheism.
22.(It will be said to the angels): "Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions (from the devils) and what they used to worship
23. besides Allah, and show them the way to hell!
Certainly! You (disbelievers) and that which you are worshipping now besides Allah, are (but) fuel for Hell! (Surely), you will enter it.
In the verse below, with a magnificent analogy, the reason why this is done to the beings prayed for is explained by comparing reaching God to reaching water, the most important thing for human life, and with a beautiful example of how, even if a person reaches out with both palms when they cannot reach water, those hands will remain empty.
For Him (Alone) is the Word of Truth (i.e. none has the right to be worshipped but Allah).
And those whom they (polytheists and disbelievers) invoke, answer them no more than one who stretches forth his hand for water to reach his mouth, but it reaches him not, and the invocation of the disbelievers is nothing but an error.
He merges the night into the day, and He merges the day into the night; and He regulates the sun and the moon, each running for a stated term. Such is Allah, your Lord; His is the sovereignty. As for those you call upon besides Him, they do not possess a speck.(Qitmir (the thin membrane over the datestone).)
The word used in the verse above for the seed membrane is "kıtmîr." The outer surface of the date seed is surrounded by this thin membrane. This membrane protects the seed from bacteria. The expression "يَمْلِكُونَ yemlikune" is translated as "to possess." In detail, it conveys the meaning of possessing all property and power, or being in control of them. In short, the meaning is that they do not even possess the knowledge contained in the seed membrane and cannot even dominate its possession of these properties. The helplessness of those being supplicated is emphasized.
"And those whom you call upon besides Him (Allah) cannot help you nor can they help themselves."
No doubt! Verily, to Allah belongs whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth. And those who worship and invoke others besides Allah, in fact they follow not the (Allah's so-called) partners, they follow only a conjecture and they only invent lies.
And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers(zalimun).'"
He calls besides Allah unto that which hurts him not, nor profits him. That is a straying far away.(from the right path.)
And Allah judges with truth, while those to whom they invoke besides Him, cannot judge anything. Certainly, Allah! He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.
Say: "I have been forbidden to worship those whom you invoke (worship) besides Allah."
Say: "I will not follow your vain desires. If I did, I would go astray, and I would not be one of the rightly guided."
And insult(saying bad words) not those whom they worship besides Allah, lest(to avoid the risk of) they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do.
Among the people are those who set up compeers(endâden-equals) besides Allah, loving them as if loving Allah—but the faithful have a more ardent(passionate) love for Allah—though the wrongdoers will see, when they sight the punishment, that power, altogether, belongs to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment.
Say: Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord, and follow not any Auliya' (protectors and helpers, etc.), besides Him (Allah). Little do you remember!