Quran Universe
21:25

وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِيٓ إِلَيۡهِ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعۡبُدُونِ

Wama arsalna min qablika min rasoolin illa noohee ilayhi annahu la ilaha illa ana faoAAbudooni

And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."

Word by word
  1. وَمَآAnd not
  2. أَرۡسَلۡنَاWe sent
  3. مِنbefore you
  4. قَبۡلِكَbefore you
  5. مِنany
  6. رَّسُولٍMessenger
  7. إِلَّاbut
  8. نُوحِيٓWe reveal (ed)
  9. إِلَيۡهِto him
  10. أَنَّهُۥthat [He]
  11. لَآ(There is) no
  12. إِلَٰهَgod
  13. إِلَّآexcept
  14. أَنَا۠Me
  15. فَٱعۡبُدُونِso worship Me
Al-Anbya · 21:25Makkah

Every messenger carried one message: worship Me alone.

The same core call across every prophet

One thread
every messengerbefore you
was told
no god but Meso worship Me
What the message is
many religionsdifferent gods
one callrepeated by all

Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ that every messenger before him was told: there is no god but Me, so worship Me. The tafsir adds that the natural inclination of man, the fitrah, also bears witness to that.

Your days are pulled in many directions: career, approval, the house, the image. Each one quietly asks for worship. Every prophet came with the same simple centre to bring your life back to one.

Faith has so many parts that I lose track of the core.

Underneath it all is one message every prophet brought: worship Allah alone.

Try this

Say La ilaha illa Allah slowly three times today, meaning it.

Related16:36
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 21:24)

Or have they taken for worship gods besides Him Say: "Bring your proof. This is the Reminder for those with me and the Reminder for those before me." But most of them know not the Truth, so they are averse (24)And We did not send any Messenger before you but We revealed to him (saying): "There is no God but I, so worship Me. (25)

أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ آلِهَةً ۖ قُلْ

(Or have they taken for worship gods besides Him? Say:) – O Muhammad –

هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ

(Bring your proof.) your evidence for what you are saying.

هَٰذَا ذِكْرُ مَن مَّعِيَ

(This is the Reminder for those with me) means, the Qur'an.

وَذِكْرُ مَن قَبْلِي

(and the Reminder for those before me) means, the previous Books, unlike what you claim. Each Book was revealed to each Prophet who was sent with the message that there is no god except Allah, but you idolators do not recognize the truth, so you turn away from it. Allah says:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ

(And We did not send any Messenger before you but We revealed to him (saying): "There is no god but I...") This is like the Ayat:

وَاسْأَلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَا أَجَعَلْنَا مِن دُونِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ آلِهَةً يُعْبَدُونَ

(And ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you: "Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious?")(43:45)

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ

(And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and avoid Taghut (all false deities).")(16:36)

Every Prophet who was sent by Allah called people to worship Allah Alone, with no partner or associate. The natural inclination of man (Al-Fitrah) also bears witness to that. The idolators have no proof and their dispute is of no use before their Lord; on them is wrath, and for them will be a severe torment.