Qul hal min shuraka-ikum man yahdee ila alhaqqi quli Allahu yahdee lilhaqqi (surah Yunus: 35)

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

(10:35) Ask them: 'Are there among ones whom you associate with Allah in His divinity those who can guide to the truth? *43 Say: 'It is Allah alone Who guides to the truth.' Then, who is more worthy to be followed - He Who guides to the truth, or he who cannot find the right way unless others guide him to it? What is wrong with you? How ill do you judge!

Qul hal min shurakaaa `ikum mai yahdeee ilal haqq; qulil laahu yahdee lilhaqq; afamai yahdeee ilal haqqi ahaqqu ai yuttaba`a ammal laa yahiddeee illaaa ai yuhdaa famaa lakum kaifa tahkumoon

*43). This verse raises an important issue which should be grasped well. Man's necessities in his worldly life are not confined to subsistence, to the provision of shelter and clothing, to protection from calamities, hardships and losses. Man also needs something else, and this is his direst need. This is the need to know how to live in the world; how he should relate with himself and the powers and potentialities with which he has been endowed; how he should relate with the resources of the world which have been placed under his control, with the innumerable human beings with whom he comes into contact, and with the order of the universe as a whole within which, willy-nilly, he has to operate.
Man needs to know all this so as to ensure the achievement of overall success in his life and to see to it that his energies and efforts do not count for naught. To ensure that his energies and efforts are not misdirected or employed in a manner that would lead to his destruction. This right way - the way that provides guidance concerning all the above questions -constitutes 'the truth', and the guidance which directs man to this truth is 'the true guidance'. Now. the Qur'an asks the unbelievers, who had rejected the Prophet's Message, whether any of their deities whom they worshipped besides God, could direct them to 'the truth".1 The answer to this question is obviously in the negative. In order to understand this it must be remembered that the deities they worshipped besides God can be divided into two broad categories;
1. The first category consists of the gods and goddesses, and those living or dead persons, whom people worship. People turn to them believing that they are capable of satisfying their needs in a supernatural way and of protecting them from calamities. But as far as guiding people to the right way is concerned, it is quite obvious that false gods had never provided any such guidance. Even the worshippers of those gods had never sought such guidance from them, nor did the polytheists ever claim that those gods taught them anything relating to morality, social conduct, culture, economy, polity, law and justice.
2. The second category consists of those outstanding people who lay down the principles and laws which others follow. Such persons are doubtlessly leaders of others. But are they really those who lead people to the truth? Does the knowledge of any of those leaders encompass all that needs to be known in order to lay down sound principles for the guidance of mankind? Do any of them possess the breadth of vision that takes into account the whole gamut of issues relating to human life? Can any one of them claim to be free of those biases, those personal or national pre-occupations, those interests and desires, inclinations and predilections which prevent people from laying down perfectly just laws for human society? As it is, since the answer to these questions is in the negative - and .since the answer of any sensible person to these questions could never be in the positive - how can any of those human beings be considered to be dependable sources of guidance to the truth?
It is for this reason that the Qur'an asks people whether any of their gods could lead them to the truth? This question, combined with the previous ones, helps man to arrive at a definitive conclusion concerning the whole question of religion. If one were to face the question with a clear mind, it is evident that man stands in dire need of One to Whom he could look up to as his Lord; One in Whom he could seek refuge and Whose protection he could solicit; One Who might answer his prayer and grant his supplication; One to Whom. notwithstanding the undependable nature of the worldly means of support, he could turn to for effective help and support. The questions posed above inevitably lead to the conclusion that this need can be met by none other than God.
In addition, man also stands in need of a guide who might teach him the principles of righteous conduct, who might teach him the laws that he might follow with full confidence. Even here it is quite clear that God alone can meet this need of man. Once these matters become clear, there remains no justification to adhere either to polytheistic religions or to secular principles of morality. culture and polity.