Quran Universe
12:40

مَا تَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَسۡمَآءٗ سَمَّيۡتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمۡ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلۡطَٰنٍۚ إِنِ ٱلۡحُكۡمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعۡبُدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ

Ma taAAbudoona min doonihi illa asmaan sammaytumooha antum waabaokum ma anzala Allahu biha min sultanin ini alhukmu illa lillahi amara alla taAAbudoo illa iyyahu thalika alddeenu alqayyimu walakinna akthara alnnasi la yaAAlamoona

You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. Legislation is not but for Allah. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.

Word by word
  1. مَاNot
  2. تَعۡبُدُونَyou worship
  3. مِنbesides Him
  4. دُونِهِۦٓbesides Him
  5. إِلَّآbut
  6. أَسۡمَآءٗnames
  7. سَمَّيۡتُمُوهَآwhich you have named them
  8. أَنتُمۡyou
  9. وَءَابَآؤُكُمand your forefathers
  10. مَّآnot
  11. أَنزَلَ(has) sent down
  12. ٱللَّهُAllah
  13. بِهَاfor it
  14. مِنany
  15. سُلۡطَٰنٍۚauthority
  16. إِنِNot
  17. ٱلۡحُكۡمُ(is) the command
  18. إِلَّاbut
  19. لِلَّهِfor Allah
  20. أَمَرَHe has commanded
  21. أَلَّاthat not
  22. تَعۡبُدُوٓاْyou worship
  23. إِلَّآbut
  24. إِيَّاهُۚHim Alone
  25. ذَٰلِكَThat
  26. ٱلدِّينُ(is) the religion
  27. ٱلۡقَيِّمُthe right
  28. وَلَٰكِنَّbut
  29. أَكۡثَرَmost
  30. ٱلنَّاسِ[the] men
  31. لَا(do) not
  32. يَعۡلَمُونَknow
Yusuf · 12:40Makkah

Only names you and your fathers made up.

Inherited habits with no proof behind them

Where their gods came from
your fathersgave names
passed to
youkept the names
backed by
0no authority from Allah
The straight way
it was always doneso it must be right
the command is Allah'sworship Him alone

Yusuf told the men their idols were only names forged and handed from one generation to the next, with no proof from Allah. Ibn Kathir says he affirmed that judgement and command belong to Allah alone, and that this is the straight religion, though most people do not know. Then he turned to their dreams.

The family custom nobody questions. The thing everyone at work does because it has always been done. Habit is not the same as proof. Ask where a rule came from before you give your life to it.

If my family has always done it, it must be right.

A tradition needs a source from Allah, not just a long history.

Try this

Pick one habit you follow without thinking and ask honestly: who said this?

Related12:103
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 12:39)

"O two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible? (39)"You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named (forged) - you and your fathers - for which Allah has sent down no authority. The command is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him; that is the straight religion, but most men know not. (40)

Prophet Yusuf went on calling his two prison companions to worship Allah alone, without partners, and to reject whatever is being worshipped instead of Him like the idols, which were worshipped by the people of the two men, Yusuf said,

أَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

(Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible?) to Whose grace and infinite kingdom everything and everyone has submitted in humiliation. Prophet Yusuf explained to them next that it is because of their ignorance that they worship false deities and give them names, for these names were forged and are being transferred from one generation to the next generation. They have no proof or authority that supports this practice, hence his statement to them,

مَّا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَانٍ

(for which Allah has sent down no authority) or proof and evidence. He then affirmed that the judgement, decision, will and kingdom are all for Allah alone, and He has commanded all of His servants to worship none but Him. He said,

ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ

(that is the straight religion,) 'this, Tawhid of Allah and directing all acts of worship at Him alone in sincerity, that I am calling you to is the right, straight religion that Allah has ordained and for which He has revealed what He wills of proofs and evidences,'

وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

(but most men know not.), and this is why most of them are idolators,

وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And most of mankind will not believe even if you eagerly desire it.)[12:103] When Yusuf finished calling them, he started interpreting their dreams for them,