Sura-16 An Nahl (Bees), Mecca 70

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Translation:

وَقَالَ اللّهُ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ إِلـهَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ...   

16:51.  God has said:

"Take not (for worship) two gods:

... إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلهٌ وَاحِدٌ... 

for He is just One God:

... فَإيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ ﴿٥١﴾  

then fear Me (and Me alone)."

Transliteration Wa qa_lalla_hu la_ tattakhizu_ ila_haini-snain(i), innama_ huwa ila_huw wa_hidun fa iyya_ya fa-rhabu_n(i).

وَلَهُ مَا فِي الْسَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلَهُ الدِّينُ وَاصِبًا...   

16:52.  To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and on earth, and to Him is duty due always:

... أَفَغَيْرَ اللّهِ تَتَّقُونَ ﴿٥٢﴾

then will ye fear other than God?

Transliteration Wa lahu_ ma_ fis sama_wa_ti wal ardi wa lahud dinu wa_siba_(n), afa gairalla_hi tattaqu_n(a).

Other versions:

Asad

16:51

And God has said: "Do not take to worshipping two [or more] deities. 58 He is the One and Only God: hence, of Me, of Me alone stand in awe!" 59

16:52

And His is all that is in the heavens and on earth, and to Him [alone] obedience is always due: will you, then, pay reverence to aught but Him?

16: 51

Pickthall Allah hath said: Choose not two gods. There is only One God. So of Me, Me only, be in awe.

16: 52

Pickthall Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth, and religion is His for ever. Will ye then fear any other than Allah?

Yuksel The Only Source of the System

16:52 To Him is what is in the heavens and the earth, and the system shall always be to Him. Is it other than God that you shall be aware of?*

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Asad’s comments

59 This is a striking example of the fluctuation to which personal pronouns are subjected in the Qur'an whenever they refer to God. As already pointed out in my Foreword, note 2. as well as in other places, such abrupt changes of pronoun ("He", "I", "We", "Us", "Me", etc.) indicate that God is limitless and, therefore, beyond the range of definition implied in the use of "personal" pronouns.

Ali’s comments:

C2077. The ancient Persians believed in two powers in the Universe, one good and the other evil.

The Pagan Arabs also had pairs of deities: e.g., Jibr (Sorcery) and Tagat (Evil), referred to in 4:51, n. 573,

or the idols on Safa and Marwa referred to in n. 160 to 2:158: their names were Isaf and Naya.

C2078. The Pagans might have a glimmering of the One True God, but they had also a haunting fear of malevolent Powers of Evil. They are told that such fears are groundless. Evil has no power over those who trust in Allah: 15:42.

The only fear they should have is that of the Wrath of Allah. To the righteous all good things come from Allah, and they have no fear in their hearts.