Quran Universe
23:117

وَمَن يَدۡعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا ءَاخَرَ لَا بُرۡهَٰنَ لَهُۥ بِهِۦ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦٓۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفۡلِحُ ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ

Waman yadAAu maAAa Allahi ilahan akhara la burhana lahu bihi fainnama hisabuhu AAinda rabbihi innahu la yuflihu alkafiroona

And whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.

Word by word
  1. وَمَنAnd whoever
  2. يَدۡعُinvokes
  3. مَعَwith
  4. ٱللَّهِAllah
  5. إِلَٰهًاgod
  6. ءَاخَرَother
  7. لَاno
  8. بُرۡهَٰنَproof
  9. لَهُۥfor him
  10. بِهِۦin it
  11. فَإِنَّمَاThen only
  12. حِسَابُهُۥhis account
  13. عِندَ(is) with
  14. رَبِّهِۦٓۚhis Lord
  15. إِنَّهُۥIndeed,[he]
  16. لَاnot
  17. يُفۡلِحُwill succeed
  18. ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَthe disbelievers
Al-Mu'minun · 23:117Makkah

Calling on another god has no proof, and cannot succeed.

The surah's final word on success

Two ends
the believershave succeeded, verse 1
the disbelieverswill not succeed, verse 117
What they had
another godno proof at all
so
account with his Lord

Ibn Kathir says whoever worships anything with Allah has no evidence for what he says, and Allah will call him to account. They will not prosper or be saved. The surah opened with the believers have succeeded and closes on its mirror.

You lean on the lucky charm, the horoscope, the person you think can fix everything. Ask what proof you have that any of it can help. The surah began and ends with one question: what is real success?

It does not hurt to rely on other things alongside Allah.

Only reliance on Allah has proof behind it, and only it leads to success.

Try this

Remove one thing from your life you rely on without any real basis.

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

And whoever invokes besides Allah, any other god, of whom he has no proof; then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely, disbelievers will not be successful (117)And say : "My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the Best of those who show mercy! (118)

Shirk Is the Worst Form of Wrong, Its Practitioner Shall Never Succeed

Allah threatens those who associate anything else with Him and worship anything with Him.He informs that those who associate others with Allah:

لَا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ

(of whom he has no proof), meaning no evidence for what he says. Then Allah says:

وَمَنْ يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ لَا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ

(And whoever invokes, besides Allah, any other god, of whom he has no proof;) this is a conditional sentence, whose fulfilling clause is:

فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ

(then his reckoning is only with his Lord.) meaning, Allah will call him to account for that. Then Allah tells us:

 إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ

(Surely, disbelievers will not be successful.) meaning, they will not be successful with Him on the Day of Resurrection; they will not prosper or be saved.

وَقُلْ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ 

(And say: "My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the best of those who show mercy!")

Here Allah is teaching us to recite this supplication, for forgiveness, in a general sense, means wiping away sins and concealing them from people, and mercy means guiding a person and helping him to say and do good things.