On the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And ask those whom We sent before you of Our messengers: Did We establish besides the Most Merciful any gods to be worshipped?" How does the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ask?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. This questioner says: In the saying of Allah the Exalted: How does the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ask the messengers who came before him, when he is the Seal of the Prophets?

The Shaykh : Yes. The question is of two kinds: a question by the tongue of speech, directed to the person present, and another question by the tongue of circumstance. This is as if He is saying: Read the biographies of the prophets; read the biography of those We sent before you of Our messengers: Did We establish besides the Most Merciful any gods to be worshipped? The purpose of this is to rebuke the polytheists who invoke another god alongside Allah, so that it becomes clear that no messenger was ever sent who was commanded to commit shirk (associating partners with Allah) or to establish gods besides Allah to be worshipped. All the messengers whom Allah sent—Allah the Exalted said about them: So the meaning of "Ask those whom We sent before you of Our messengers" is: Trace their biographies and their calls. Did We establish besides the Most Merciful any gods to be worshipped? And the answer is: Yes or no?
The student: No.

The Shaykh : The answer is no. Allah never established any gods besides the Most Merciful to be worshipped. Rather, everything worshipped besides Allah is invalid.