ما تَعبُدونَ مِن دونِهِ إِلّا أَسماءً سَمَّيتُموها أَنتُم وَآباؤُكُم ما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِها مِن سُلطانٍ ۚ إِنِ الحُكمُ إِلّا لِلَّهِ ۚ أَمَرَ أَلّا تَعبُدوا إِلّا إِيّاهُ ۚ ذٰلِكَ الدّينُ القَيِّمُ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يَعلَمونَ

You do not worship besides Him but [mere] names that you and your fathers have coined, for which Allah has not sent down any authority. Sovereignty belongs only to Allah. He has commanded you to worship none except Him. That is the upright religion, but most people do not know.

EXEGESIS

Qayyim (upright) derives from the root verb qāma which conveys the meanings of standing, establishing, and maintaining. Also, to look after something (to ‘stand for it’ in English), and to continue with something determinedly (to ‘stand by it’).[1] In its various forms qayyim can mean straight, upright, correct, or established. In the context of the verse, al-dīn al-qayyim carries the meaning of ‘the straight and true religion’, emphasising that monotheism is the uncorrupted, divinely ordained path, in contrast to the false beliefs of polytheists. The religion of God is described as qayyim because it stands firmly and unshakingly upright, looking after the affairs of people. In other words, the true monotheistic faith is the only religion that can manage people’s affairs correctly and guide them to bliss.[2]

Sulṭān (authority) here means evidence and proof,[3] meaning there is no evidence that God has designated any intermediaries to govern the affairs of creation, for true sovereignty belongs solely to Allah.

Ḥukm (sovereignty) fundamentally denotes an authoritative directive – whether a command or prohibition – grounded in certainty. It thus signifies a binding ruling, while a ḥākim refers to the one who issues such rulings, such as a judge or ruler.[4] As the ultimate authority to legislate and adjudicate all matters rests solely with God, He is the true ḥākim or ḥakam. Therefore, ḥukm belongs only to Him.

EXPOSITION

You do not worship besides Him: Prophet Joseph’s (a) address switches from the dual of the previous verse to the plural here, because he is not speaking of only his two prison mates anymore, but anyone who held such beliefs,[5] such as the Ancient Egyptians in general.[6]

But [mere] names: this is meant to belittle the false gods, saying that they only exist as names. In other words, they have no reality and exist simply on a conceptual level as referents.[7] While in the previous verse Prophet Joseph (a) refers to the deities of the Egyptians as masters, here he clarifies that they are not in fact truly masters of anything, for they do not actually exist. Hence, their choice is not a real choice between worshipping the one God or many gods, but rather it is actually a choice of either worshipping the one true God or worshipping imaginary beings with no actual existence or power. There is no Anubis, or Thot, or Horus, or Ra. All of these were simply fictional characters that their imaginations had conjured up. Then they will be told: ‘Where are those you used to take as partners besides Allah?’ They will say: ‘They have forsaken us. Rather, we did not invoke any [real] thing before’ (40:73-74).

When something is only a name without a real referent, it has no real effect or influence. Those idols and their worship which dictated so much of pagan society and their manners, customs, and beliefs, were only delusions of imagination. Once the pagans that believed in them cease to do so or perished, those idols wielded no power of their own. They only existed in the minds of the pagans that believed in them. Similar is the power of tyrants, who only exert influence and power because others are willing to obey them.[8]

In this sense, Prophet Joseph (a) is taking the point he made in the previous verse a step further. The false gods that they worshipped were not even like the bickering mundane masters that they served in this world, but even less than that, because those false gods had no real existence at all. They were nothing but mere fantasy. In both cases, they had the same choice that Prophet Joseph (a) had: they could reject false masters and refuse to obey them, submitting themselves only to God.

That you and your fathers have coined: this phrase alludes to a fundamental cause of polytheism: the human tendency to project their own limitations onto the divine. Unable to conceive of one Supreme Being sustaining all existence, people instead assigned separate deities to distinct domains – one for harvest, another for war, yet another for progeny, and so forth.

By stating that you and your fathers invented these names, the verse underscores how polytheism is perpetuated across generations – a man-made mythology devoid of divine sanction. This highlights the inherently unstable nature of such beliefs: rooted in conjecture and desire, they remain perpetually in flux. Each generation reshapes the pantheon and redefines its doctrines arbitrarily, for without divine foundation there are no fixed principles – only ever-changing fiction. This is while the religion of God has always been Islam: Your Lord, and the Lord of your forefathers (26:26).

For which Allah has not sent down any authority: authority here refers to decisive proof, meaning God has provided no evidence validating the existence of any real entities behind these invented names, let alone their alleged divinity or worthiness of worship. Thus, your worship of them is baseless.

Alternatively, the pronoun bihā (for which) may refer back to the act of worship itself – that is, God has furnished no justification for worshipping them, whether by affirming their power of intercession or independent agency. True authority belongs solely to God, as the verse concludes: Sovereignty belongs only to Allah.[9]

Sovereignty belongs only to Allah: make no mistake though, even their earthly masters could do nothing independently of God, as all sovereignty belongs to Him. God is the only one who has the right to legislate and command His servants. Even Prophet Muhammad (s) is obeyed only because God has ordered us to obey him, and in reality, obedience to him is an extension of the obedience of God.

He has commanded you to worship none except Him: since absolute sovereignty belongs to God alone, He alone has the right to command His creation as He wills. His divine will is rooted in perfect wisdom, boundless knowledge, absolute justice, and infinite mercy towards all beings. It is by this wisdom that He has ordained humanity to worship and submit to none but Him – rejecting not only false gods but also oppressive rulers or masters who seek to compel disobedience to His commandments. Prophet Joseph (a) himself was a ready example of this. He had ended up in prison because he had refused to submit to the demands of his mistress, as those demands contravened God’s commands.

In summary, this and the previous verse together deny that it is possible that there should be more than one all-powerful deity, and that we cannot claim that He has appointed lesser beings to manage the affairs of creation or to act as intermediaries on His behalf, and those who claim it have no evidence for it. On the contrary, He himself has commanded that we worship none except Him.[10]

That is the upright religion, but most people do not know: scholars have proposed several interpretations for this portion of the verse; some suggest it indicates that most people do not know what is the upright religion,[11] others argue that it means what Prophet Joseph (a) is saying is true,[12] while a third view maintains it refers to humanity’s general ignorance regarding the rewards awaiting the righteous and the punishments destined for the wicked.[13] Among these, the first interpretation appears most evident and contextually supported. Now, does this mean most people do not follow God’s religion? Yes, that is the implication of this statement. The majority of people do not follow divinely revealed religion, nor do they submit to God as they should. This point is often brought up in many verses of the Quran, including: If you obey most of those on the earth, they will lead you astray from the way of Allah. They follow nothing but conjectures and they do nothing but surmise (6:116); We have certainly interspersed for the people this Quran with every [kind of] parable, but most people are only intent on ingratitude (17:89);[14] but most people do not give thanks (2:243);[15] but most people do not know (7:187);[16] it is the truth from your Lord, but most people do not have faith (11:17);[17] Certainly, most of the ancients went astray before them (37:71); We did not find in most of them any [loyalty to] covenants. Indeed We found most of them to be transgressors (7:102).

This theme echoes throughout this surah as well, appearing first in verse 21: Allah has [full] command of His affairs, but most people do not know, recurring in verse 38: but most people do not give thanks, and resurfacing again in verse 68: but most people do not know. The message culminates in its most explicit formulation in verse 103: Yet most people will not have faith, however eager you should be. Tragically, the majority of mankind remains preoccupied with worldly distractions, neglecting to contemplate their true purpose. Even among Muslims this spiritual apathy persists, as many choose to disregard divine truths in pursuit of transient worldly gains. None of this however means that the majority of people will face God’s wrath or end up in hell. Rather, God’s mercy is vast and apparently most people will be pardoned – particularly those who acted out of genuine ignorance – and will be allowed to enter heaven. As such, many in heaven will wonder how some people managed to end up in hell: Every soul is hostage to what it has earned, except the People of the Right Hand. [They will be] in gardens, questioning concerning the guilty: ‘What drew you into Hell?’ (74:38-42).

Albeit, for many people who do enter heaven, they might have to undergo a long and gruelling purification process on the Day of Judgement, while the faithful are spared this ordeal. Instead, they will be granted swift and easy reckoning, rejoicing as they return to their loved ones (84:7-9). The verses 92:5-7 state: As for him who gives and is God-wary and confirms the best promise, We shall surely ease him into facility. On that day, while others stumble in dark planes towards the plane of maḥshar, the believers will be guided by divine light, hastening toward their eternal reward (57:12). Moreover, unlike those questioned for every deed, the believers will have their misdeeds erased (29:7) and will not face the same intense scrutiny. Thus, the righteous are granted ease, light, and mercy, while others endure hardship before attaining salvation.

In any case, the goal of believers should never be to simply enter heaven, but to achieve the high stations of paradise. Those who have been guided by God to His religion should be grateful for that and utilise the great blessing that has been bestowed upon them to vie for the highest stations of paradise.

[1] Raghib, p. 690.
[2] Mizan, 11/178.
[3] Tibyan, 6/142; Tabari, 12/130.
[4] Tahqiq, 2/309, ḥ-k-m.
[5] Tabrisi, 5/358.
[6] Tabari, 12/130. Keep in mind that in the previous two verses, Prophet Joseph (a) spoke of how he renounces the creed which the people of this country were following.
[7] See Tibyan, 6/142; Zamakhshari, 2/471.
[8] Mudarrisi, 14/162.
[9] Mizan, 11/177-178.
[10] Mizan, 11/178-179.
[11] Alusi, 6/453.
[12] Tibyan, 6/143.
[13] Tabrisi, 5/358.
[14] See also 25:50.
[15] See also 40:61, 7:17, 10:60, and 27:73.
[16] See also 16:38, 30:6, 30:30, 34:28, 34:36, 40:57, 45:26, 6:37, 6:111, 10:55, 28:13, and 44:39.
[17] See also 13:1, 40:59, 26:8, 26:67, 26:103, 26:121, 26:139, 26:158, 26:174, and 26:190.