وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَائِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَنْ نُشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ذَلِكَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿۳۸﴾ يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ ﴿۳۹﴾ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۴۰﴾

﴾38﴿ Wattaba'tu millata aabaaa'eee Ibraaheema wa Ishaaqa wa Ya'qoob; maa kaana lanaaa an nushrika billaahi min shai'; zaalikamin fadlil laahi 'alainaa wa 'alan naasi wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa yashkuroon
﴾39﴿ Yaa saahibayis sijni 'a-arbaabum mutafarriqoona khayrun amil laahul waahidul qahhaar
﴾40﴿ Maa ta'budoona min doonihee illaaa asmaaa'an sam maitumoohaaa antum wa aabaaa'ukum maaa anzalal laahu bihaa min sultan; inilhukmu illaa lillaah; amara allaa ta'budooo illaaa iyyaah; zaalikad deenul qaiyimu wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoon

﴾38﴿ And whoever follows the religion of their forefathers, which is that of Abraham (peace be upon him), Isaac (peace be upon him), and Jacob (peace be upon him), it is not permissible for us to associate anything with Allah, the Exalted. This (monotheism) is the grace of Allah, the Exalted, upon us and upon mankind, but most people do not give thanks
﴾39﴿ O companions of my prison, are separate lords better for worship, or Allah, the Almighty, the One
﴾40﴿ You do not worship besides Allah the Exalted except names you and your forefathers have named; Allah has not sent down any authority for them. The decision and command belong to none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. This is the correct religion, but most people do not know

[38] And in this verse, Yusuf (peace be upon him) declares his own religion in a general way with the phrase (مِلَّةَ آبَائِي) – “the religion of my forefathers.”
These three forefathers (Ibrahim, Ishaq, and Ya‘qub, peace be upon them) were, at that time, well-known in the regions of Sham (Greater Syria), Palestine, Egypt, and Arabia for their upright (hanif) religion.
This is evidence that following one’s forefathers – when they are prophets – is a valid and praiseworthy form of reasoning.
Then he clarifies his belief in detail with the phrase (مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَنْ نُشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ) – “It is not for us to associate anything with Allah.”
This proves that Tawhid (monotheism) is the religion of all the prophets.
The phrase (مِنْ شَيْءٍ) carries extensive generalization, because the word shay’ (thing) is broad in meaning and is used here in a negation, which strengthens its comprehensiveness. The word “min” also adds further emphasis to that generalization.
So this includes idols, trees, stones, shrines, saints, spiritual leaders, graves, angels, and jinn – all of them.
(لَا يَشْكُرُونَ) – Associating partners with Allah is a great form of ingratitude.
[39] After the introduction, Yusuf (peace be upon him) begins inviting the prisoners to faith with the words (يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ) – “O my two companions of the prison.”
In this expression, there is affection and gentleness, indicating that he was fulfilling the right of companionship with them.
The mention of “prison” shows that they were merely companions in imprisonment, not in religion.
In contrast, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was a companion of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) in religion as well.
This is why the Qur’an refers to him as "his companion" (لِصَاحِبِهِ) in the cave (ghār).
Therefore, the claim of the Shia is invalid when they compare "his companion" to "O companions of the prison", arguing that it holds no superiority for Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
Allah has honored him (Abu Bakr), and this comparison is flawed.
In this verse, there is a refutation of shirk in lordship through a method of compelling argument.
(مُتَفَرِّقُونَ) – One meaning is that the needs are distributed among different so-called gods.
The second meaning is that there are varying ranks among these false gods, according to the beliefs of the polytheists.
(خَيْرٌ) here refers to the one who is truly deserving of worship and lordship.
(الْوَاحِدُ) means He is unique in His essence and attributes – He has no equal, no similar, and no likeness.
(الْقَهَّارُ) – He is dominant over everything and everyone, while all other deities are weak and incapable.
[40] Since the oneness of Lordship (Tawḥīd al-Rubūbiyyah) necessitates the oneness of worship (Tawḥīd al-ʿUlūhiyyah), this verse contains a detailed refutation of both shirk in worship and shirk in legislation.
The meaning of "names" here refers to attributive names that the polytheists had made famous for their false gods—such as "Reliever of Hardships," "The Greatest Helper," "Protector of the Paralyzed," and others.
This is also mentioned in verse (71) of Sūrat al-Aʿrāf.
The phrase (مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ) – “Allah has not sent down any authority for them” – implies that no revelation, whether all at once (مَا أَنْزَلَ) or gradually (مَانْزَلَ), has ever provided any proof or legitimacy for these names or claims.
Hence, the polytheists have no evidence.
(إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ) – Judgment belongs to none but Allah.
There are two types of divine rulings:
1. Takwīnī (creative decree) – the control and running of the universe.
2. Tashrīʿī (legislative decree) – the rules of worship, commands and prohibitions, and declaring what is lawful or unlawful.
The authority over both kinds lies solely with Allah, Most High.
(أَمَرَ) here means “He has commanded,” referring to the command of Tawḥīd, and the essence of Tawḥīd is captured in (أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ) – that you worship none but Him.