۞ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ إِلَٰهَيْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۖ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۖ فَإِيَّٰىَ فَٱرْهَبُونِ
See 16:23.
Commentary:
The interdiction about the adoption of two gods in the first sentence of the verse does not imply that the adoption of more than two gods is permissible, for it is stated in the very next sentence that God is One. This form of speech has been used to lend emphasis to the statement and means that God is only One and not two, much less many.
Another implication of the verse is that all men, even polytheists and idolaters, believe that there is One Supreme God. They believe in other and lesser gods in the sense that they exercise local and restricted authority, e.g., some control rain, others control food, yet others diseases, etc. There are also gods presiding over the destinies of certain families and tribes. But the Quran most emphatically denies the division of the Godhead into two or three or more and the present verse lays the greatest stress on the Oneness of God and says that no one dare share Godhead with Him.
The verse may also be considered as a refutation of the belief held by the Magi that there are two gods, one of good and the other of evil. It purports to say that both good and evil consequences of actions proceed from one and the same God and that there is no other god beside Him.
A further implication of the verse is that when there is only one God, then He alone has the authority to make Laws and that He has sent down the Quran for the guidance of man.
Referring to the warnings given in the previous verse, the Quran declares here that when events predicted long before by the Prophet come to pass after his Migration from Mecca, it will establish the Oneness of God.
The verse also implies a comparison between the teachings of the Quran and those advocated by disbelievers and points out that man cannot do without the monotheistic teachings inculcated by the Quran. Polytheism tends to dissipate human attention and energies while monotheism gives him concentration, strength and peace of mind.
16:23.
A study of the working of the universe reveals a wonderful uniformity of the system running through it. If there had been more gods than one, this uniformity would have disappeared. Moreover, if there had been two gods, one would have to be subordinate to the other to carry out his orders. In that case the existence of one of the two would be superfluous. But if both of them had been of an equal status, then each of them would have his own separate sphere of influence and control. In such an event differences certainly would have arisen between them. But both these suppositions are absurd. Hence there must be One God, the Only Creator of the entire universe.