Surah Yusuf, Ayah 40
Quran 12:40 · Joseph · Makki · Para 12 · Page 240
مَا تَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِهٖۤ اِلَّاۤ اَسْمَآءً سَمَّیْتُمُوْهَاۤ اَنْتُمْ وَاٰبَآؤُكُمْ مَّاۤ اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطٰنٍ ؕ اِنِ الْحُكْمُ اِلَّا لِلّٰهِ ؕ اَمَرَ اَلَّا تَعْبُدُوْۤا اِلَّاۤ اِیَّاهُ ؕ ذٰلِكَ الدِّیْنُ الْقَیِّمُ وَلٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا یَعْلَمُوْنَ ۟
Transliteration
Ma taAAbudoona min doonihi illaasmaan sammaytumooha antum waabaokumma anzala Allahu biha min sultaninini alhukmu illa lillahi amara allataAAbudoo illa iyyahu thalika addeenualqayyimu walakinna akthara annasi layaAAlamoon
Saheeh International
You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allāh has sent down no evidence. Legislation is not but for Allāh. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
Joseph told them that they only worshipped names besides Allah, which have not been designated by Allah, but were what they and their ancestors had called gods – yet they had no share in divinity. Allah had sent no proof showing that giving these names was correct. The command in all creation is Allah’s alone, and does not belong to these names, which they and their ancestors had come up with. Allah, glory be to Him, has instructed that you worship Him alone, and has forbidden that you should associate others with Him. Worshipping Allah alone is the straight path, which has no deviation in it. Most people do not know this, and therefore they associate other things with Allah, worshipping some of what Allah has created.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
Explains 12:39–12:40 together — read it on 12:39