Tafseer of The Prophets · Al-Anbiyaa · 21:25
And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: And We did not send before you, O Muhammad, any messenger to any people of the peoples except that We revealed to him that there is none worshipped in the heavens and the earth to whom worship is fitting except Me — so worship Me. He says: devote worship purely to Me, and ascribe divinity (ulūhiyya) exclusively to Me.
In a manner similar to how we explained this verse, the exegetes of the Qurʾān spoke.
Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ (and We did not send before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that there is no god but Me — so worship Me): he said: the messengers were sent with sincerity (ikhlāṣ) and oneness (tawḥīd); no work is accepted from them — so I think, thus said Abū Jaʿfar [al-Ṭabarī: I think that he said] — until they say this and assent to it. The legislations (sharāʾiʿ), however, are different: in the Torah a legislation (sharīʿa), in the Gospel a legislation, and in the Qurʾān a legislation — permitted (ḥalāl) and forbidden (ḥarām) —; but all of this concerns sincerity (ikhlāṣ) toward Allah and His oneness (tawḥīd).