Allah admonishes those who take up rivals with Him and worship the idols, monuments
and false deities. Allah states that such false deities do not deserve any degree
of Divinity. Allah said,
﴿قُلْ﴾
(Say) O Muhammad, to those from among the Children of Adam, such as the Christians,
who worship other than Allah,
﴿أَتَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ
مَا لاَ يَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرّاً وَلاَ نَفْعاً﴾
(How do you worship besides Allah something which has no power either to harm or
to benefit you) meaning, which cannot prevent harm for you nor bring about your
benefit,
﴿وَاللَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ﴾
(But it is Allah Who is the All-Hearer, All-Knower.) He hears what His servants
say and has knowledge of all things. Therefore, how did you worship inanimate objects
that do not hear, see or know anything - having no power to bring harm or benefit
to themselves let alone others - instead of worshipping Allah Allah then said,
﴿قُلْ يَـأَهْلَ الْكِتَـبِ لاَ تَغْلُواْ
فِى دِينِكُمْ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ﴾
(Say: "O People of the Scipture! Exceed not the limits in your religion beyond the
truth,) Meaning: Do not exceed the limits concerning the truth and exaggeration
in praising whom you were commanded to honor. You exaggerated in his case and elevated
him from the rank of Prophet to the rank of a god. You did this with `Isa, who was
a Prophet, yet you claimed that he is god besides Allah. This error occurred because
you followed your teachers, the advocates of misguidance who came before your time
and who,
﴿وَأَضَلُّواْ كَثِيراً وَضَلُّواْ
عَن سَوَآءِ السَّبِيلِ﴾
(...and who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the right path,) deviated
from the straight path, to the path of misguidance and deviation.
﴿لُعِنَ الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ مِن بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ عَلَى لِسَانِ دَاوُودَ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ذلِكَ
بِمَا عَصَوْا وَّكَانُواْ يَعْتَدُونَ - كَانُواْ لاَ يَتَنَـهَوْنَ عَن مُّنكَرٍ
فَعَلُوهُ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُواْ يَفْعَلُونَ - تَرَى كَثِيراً مِّنْهُمْ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ
الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَبِئْسَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَهُمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ أَن سَخِطَ اللَّهُ
عَلَيْهِمْ وَفِى الْعَذَابِ هُمْ خَـلِدُونَ - وَلَوْ كَانُوا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْلهِ
والنَّبِىِّ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَا اتَّخَذُوهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ وَلَـكِنَّ كَثِيراً
مِّنْهُمْ فَـسِقُونَ ﴾
(78. Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue
of Dawud and `Isa, son of Maryam. That was because they disobeyed (Allah and the
Messengers) and were ever transgressing (beyond the bounds).) (79. They used not
to forbid one another from the evil they committed. Vile indeed was what they used
to do.) (80. You see many of them taking the disbelievers as their friends. Evil
indeed is that which they have sent forward before themselves; for that (reason)
Allah is wrath with them, and in torment they will abide.) (81. And had they believed
in Allah, and in the Prophet and in what has been revealed to him, never would they
have taken them as friends; but many of them are rebellious.)