Quran Universe
17:42

قُل لَّوۡ كَانَ مَعَهُۥٓ ءَالِهَةٞ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذٗا لَّٱبۡتَغَوۡاْ إِلَىٰ ذِي ٱلۡعَرۡشِ سَبِيلٗا

Qul law kana maAAahu alihatun kama yaqooloona ithan laibtaghaw ila thee alAAarshi sabeelan

Say, [O Muhammad], "If there had been with Him [other] gods, as they say, then they [each] would have sought to the Owner of the Throne a way."

Word by word
  1. قُلSay
  2. لَّوۡIf
  3. كَانَ(there) were
  4. مَعَهُۥٓwith Him
  5. ءَالِهَةٞgods
  6. كَمَاas
  7. يَقُولُونَthey say
  8. إِذٗاthen
  9. لَّٱبۡتَغَوۡاْsurely they (would) have sought
  10. إِلَىٰto
  11. ذِي(the) Owner
  12. ٱلۡعَرۡشِ(of) the Throne
  13. سَبِيلٗاa way
Al-Isra · 17:42Makkah

Even other gods, if they existed, would be seeking Him.

No need for a middleman to reach Allah

Their idea
the worshipper
goes through
another godto get closer
who itself seeks
the Lord of the Throne
The shortcut
go through someoneto be heard
go to Him directlyas they would have to

The idolaters of Makkah worshipped others so these would bring them closer to Allah and speak for them. The reply: if such gods existed, they would themselves be seeking a way to Him. So worship Him alone. Ibn Kathir notes that He does not accept intermediaries in worship and forbade it through all His messengers.

You feel too far gone to make dua yourself. You ask someone more pious to pray for you instead and never pray yourself. There is no queue and no receptionist. Raise your hands. He hears you directly.

I need someone holier than me to get my prayers through.

Allah is reachable directly, by me, right now.

Try this

Make one dua today in your own words, in your own language, with no one in between.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Say: "If there had been other gods along with Him as they assert, then they would certainly have sought out a way to the Lord of the Throne (42)Glorified and Exalted is He high above what they say (43)

Allah says: 'Say, O Muhammad, to these idolators who claim that Allah has a partner among His creation, and who worship others besides Him that they may bring them nearer to Him: if the matter is as you say, and there is another god besides Him whom you worship in order to draw closer to Him and so that he will intercede for you with Him, then those whom you worship would themselves worship Him and seek means to draw closer to Him. So worship Him alone, just as those on whom you call besides Him worship Him. You have no need of a deity to be an intermediary between you and Him, for He does not like or accept that, rather He hates it and rejects it, and has forbidden that through all of His Messengers and Prophets.' Then He glorifies and sanctifies Himself far above all that, and says:

سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ

(Glorified and Exalted is He high above what they say!) meaning these idolators who transgress and do wrong when they claim that there are other gods besides Him.

عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا

(high above) means, far above. He is Allah, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable or coequal unto Him.