10:18 Yunus (Jonas)

يقول تعالى‏:‏ ‏{‏وَيَعْبُدُونَ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ المشركون المكذبون لرسول الله ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏.‏ ‏{‏مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ لا تملك لهم مثقال ذرة من النفع ولا تدفع عنهم شيئا‏.‏ ‏{‏وَيَقُولُونَ‏}‏ قولا خاليا من البرهان‏:‏ ‏{‏هَؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ يعبدونهم ليقربوهم إلى الله، ويشفعوا لهم عنده، وهذا قول من تلقاء أنفسهم، وكلام ابتكروه هم، ولهذا قال تعالى ـ مبطلا لهذا القول ـ ‏:‏ ‏{‏قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي السموات وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ الله تعالى هو العالم، الذي أحاط علما بجميع ما في السماوات والأرض، وقد أخبركم بأنه ليس له شريك ولا إله معه، أفأنتم ـ يا معشر المشركين ـ تزعمون أنه يوجد له فيها شركاء‏؟‏ أفتخبرونه بأمر خفي عليه، وعلمتوه‏؟‏ أأنتم أعلم أم الله‏؟‏ فهل يوجد قول أبطل من هذا القول، المتضمن أن هؤلاء الضلال الجهال السفهاء أعلم من رب العالمين‏؟‏ فليكتف العاقل بمجرد تصور هذا القول، فإنه يجزم بفساده وبطلانه‏:‏ ‏{‏سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ تقدس وتنزه أن يكون له شريك أو نظير، بل هو الله الأحد الفرد الصمد الذي لا إله في السماوات والأرض إلا هو، وكل معبود في العالم العلوي والسفلي سواه، فإنه باطل عقلا وشرعا وفطرة‏.‏ ‏{‏ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ‏}‏

ينكر تعالى على المشركين الذين عبدوا مع الله غيره ظانين أن تلك الآلهة تنفعهم شفاعتها عند الله فأخبر تعالى أنها لا تضر ولا تنفع ولا تملك شيئا ولا يقع شيء مما يزعمون فيها ولا يكون هذا أبدا ولهذا قال تعالى "قل أتنبئون الله بما لا يعلم في السموات ولا في الأرض" وقال ابن جرير: معناه أتخبرون الله بما لا يكون في السموات ولا في الأرض؟ ثم نزه نفسه الكريمة عن شركهم وكفرهم فقال "سبحانه وتعالى عما يشركون".

What do the Idolators believe about Their Gods

Allah reproaches the idolators that worshipped others beside Allah, thinking that those gods would intercede for them before Allah. Allah states that these gods do not harm or benefit. They don't have any authority over anything, nor do they own anything. These gods can never do what the idolators had claimed about them. That is why Allah said:

قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَلاَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(Say: `Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth') Ibn Jarir said: "This means, `Are you telling Allah about what may not happen in the heavens and earth' Allah then announced that His Glorious Self is far above their Shirk and Kufr by saying:

سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

(Glorified and Exalted is He above all that which they associate as partners (with Him)!)

Shirk is New

Allah then tells us that Shirk was new among mankind. It was not in existence in the beginning. He tells us that people were believers in one religion and that religion was Islam. Ibn `Abbas said: "There were ten centuries between Adam and Nuh. They were all on Islam. Then differences among people took place. They worshipped idols and rivals. So Allah sent extensive evidence and irrefutable proof with His Messengers."

لِّيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَن بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحْيَى مَنْ حَىَّ عَن بَيِّنَةٍ

(So that those who were to be destroyed (for rejecting the faith) might be destroyed after a clear evidence, and those who were to live might live after a clear evidence.)8:42 Allah's statement:

وَلَوْلاَ كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ

(And had not it been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord...) means that if Allah had not decreed He would not punish anyone until the evidence is established against them. And also that if He had not given creatures a respite until a defined term had passed, He would have judged among them in what they disputed. Then He would have caused the believers to be happy and delighted and the disbelievers to be miserable and wretched.

And they worship besides God that is other than Him that which can neither hurt them should they not worship it nor profit them if they do worship it — and these are the idols; and they say of them ‘These are our intercessors with God’. Say to them ‘Would you tell would you inform God of what He does not know in the heavens or in the earth?’ the interrogative is meant as a disavowal for if He had a partner He Himself would know it since nothing can be hidden from Him. Glory be to Him! in affirmation of His transcendence and High be He exalted above what they associate! with Him.

The last verse (17) emphasizes the subject conclusively by warning that attributing any statement to Allah Ta` ala that was not His Word, or denying what actually was, were crimes deserving severe punishment.