Fala tadAAu maAAa Allahi ilahan akhara fatakoona mina almuAAaththabeen (surah Shuara: 213)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(26:213) So,. O Muhammad, do not invoke any other deity besides Allah lest you should also be included among those who will be chastised. *134

Falaa tad`u ma`al laahi ilaahan aakhara fatakoona minal mu`azzabeen

*134) This dces not mean that the Holy Prophet was going to be involved in shirk from which he was to be admonished to desist. The object was to warn the disbelievers and polytheists to the effect: "As the message of the Qur'an is based on pure Truth revealed by the Almighty Ruler of the universe, and there is no tinge of any satanic impurity in it, there could be no question of showing a favour to somebody in regard to the Truth. Even if the Holy Messenger himself, who is nearest to Allah and His most beloved servant, deviated a little from the path of His obedience and invoked any other deity than Allah, he could not escape the punishment." When it was so in the case of the Holy Prophet, who else could have the hope that after committing shirk with regard to AIIah, he would be able to escape the punishment or help others to escape it.