Our faith defines the ultimate direction of our thoughts and destiny. One cannot have multi directional mindset to steer one's life. Likewise, when it comes to our religious faith, we cannot look up to any deity other than the only Lord of the universe, we Muslims call Allah while others call Him God, though some have different interpretation of God when it comes to Monotheism characterized as per the religion whose foundation was laid by Prophet Ibraheem عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ (Abraham). Any deviation form Monotheism is regarded as tangent to belief in One Ture God.
However, many tend to deviate from the concept of Monotheism and add worldly gods alongside the True God, distinguished from henotheism, a religious system in which the believer worships one god without denying that others may worship different gods with equal validity, and monolatrism, the recognition of the existence of many gods but with the consistent worship of only one deity. If one does have gods besides One True God, he is committing the crime of Shirk.
You may like to know what shirk is from our Reference page: Understanding Shirk - Grave sin of Associating Partners with Allah
Thus, anything other than Monotheism is strongly denied in Islam and those who do so will have their reckoning with Allah alone. This has been explicitly said in Surah Al-Mu’minun (23:117), explained herein under:
The Verse
وَمَن يَدْعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ لَا بُرْهَـٰنَ لَهُۥ بِهِۦ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
“And whoever invokes, along with Allah, another god — for which he has no proof — then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely, the disbelievers will not succeed.” (23:117)
Context in Surah Al-Mu’minun
Surah Al-Mu’minun begins with the qualities of true believers (23:1–11) and then contrasts them with the arrogance, disbelief, and corruption of those who reject Allah’s messengers. Verse 117 comes near the end of the Surah (the closing passage), summarizing the fate of those who commit shirk (associating partners with Allah):
- They have no evidence for their beliefs.
- They will face judgment with Allah.
- Their final outcome is failure in the Hereafter.
This verse also came as a rebuttal to the Quraysh in Makkah, who worshipped idols alongside Allah and claimed they were “intercessors” without any divine proof (cf. 10:18).
Phrase-by-Phrase Meaning
- "Whoever invokes another god along with Allah…" Refers to any act of worship — prayer, sacrifice, seeking help — directed to someone or something other than Allah, whether idol, saint, angel, prophet, or force of nature.
- "…for which he has no proof" Islam’s core principle: truth must rest on evidence. No prophet or divine book has ever authorized worship of anything besides Allah.
- "…his reckoning is with his Lord" Ultimate judgment belongs to Allah alone. Even if such a person appears to “get away with it” in this life, the real accounting is in the Hereafter.
- "Indeed, the disbelievers will never succeed" Permanent failure in the Hereafter, regardless of worldly achievements.
Related Qur’anic References
- 17:39 – “Do not set up with Allah another deity, lest you be thrown into Hell, blamed and rejected.”
- 4:48 – “Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.”
- 10:66 – “Unquestionably, to Allah belongs whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth. And those who invoke other than Allah do not [actually] follow any partners; they follow only assumption, and they are only guessing.”
Supporting Hadith
- Sahih al-Bukhari (4497) – The Prophet ﷺ said: “The Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.” The Hadith means that all prophets taught Tawḥīd; no prophet ever sanctioned shirk.
- Sahih Muslim (92) – “Whoever meets Allah without associating anything with Him will enter Paradise, and whoever meets Him associating something with Him will enter Hell.”
Core Lessons
- No proof exists for shirk — All authentic revelation calls to pure monotheism.
- Accountability is certain — People may justify their shirk in this world, but Allah will question them in the Hereafter.
- Faith is evidence-based — True belief must be rooted in divine proof, not blind tradition or inherited customs.
- Success is defined by the Hereafter — Worldly victories are meaningless if they end in eternal loss.
Relevance Today
- Modern forms of shirk can be direct (worshipping other beings) or subtle (placing ultimate trust in power, wealth, or ideology).
- Many today claim certain saints, leaders, or “spiritual powers” can protect them or bring them closer to God without Qur’anic or prophetic proof — this verse directly challenges such beliefs.
- In a world where “truth” is often treated as subjective, this verse calls for proof-based faith rooted in revelation, not hearsay or tradition.
- It’s also a warning that religious acts without Tawḥīd — no matter how impressive — have no value before Allah.
Thus to summarize the above quoted verse and its true meaning, any claim of partnership with God has absolutely no evidence to support it, neither from the universe and how it is run, nor from human logic or nature. Anyone who makes such a claim will have to face the reckoning in front of God, and the result is known in advance: “Most certainly the unbelievers shall never be successful.” This is an unfailing rule that is hound to come true. Success, by contrast, is guaranteed for the believers.
All the favours and comforts that we see the unbelievers enjoying in this life, and all the power and resources they may sometimes have at their command does not mean success in reality. It is all given to them as a test, and it will end with their loss in this present life. However, if some of them escape punishment in this world, they will have to face the reckoning in the hereafter. There, in the life to come, is the final stage of this life cycle. It is not something separate or isolated. Indeed, it is an essential stage, clearly seen by those who have real vision.
You may refer to Selected verses from Sūrah 23. Al-Mu’minūn “The Believers” for other selected verses from Surah Al-Mu’minun already published.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.
