أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَى إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ ﴿۳﴾ لَوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا لَاصْطَفَى مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ سُبْحَانَهُ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ ﴿۴﴾ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ يُكَوِّرُ اللَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى اللَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى أَلَا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ ﴿۵﴾

﴾3﴿ Alaa lillaahid deenul khaalis; wallazeenat takhazoo min dooniheee awliyaaa'a maa na'buduhum illaa liyuqar riboonaaa ilal laahi zulfaa; innal laaha yahkumu baina hum fee maa hum feehi yakhtalifoon; innal laaha laa yahdee man huwa kaazibun kaffaar
﴾4﴿ Law araadal laahu aiyattakhiza waladal lastafaa mimmaa yakhluqu maa yashaaa'; Subhaanahoo Huwal laahul Waahidul Qahhaar
﴾5﴿ Khalaqas samaawaati wal arda bilhaqq; yukawwirul laila 'alan nahaari wa yukawwirun nahaara 'alaal laili wa sakhkharash shamsa walqamara kulluny yajree li ajalim musammaa; alaa Huwal 'Azeezul Ghaffaar

﴾3﴿ Be aware that pure religion belongs exclusively to Allah the Exalted. Those who have taken helpers other than Allah the Exalted say, We only worship them so they may bring us nearer to Allah the Exalted. Surely Allah the Exalted will judge between them regarding what they differ about. Indeed, Allah the Exalted does not grant success to one who is greatly deceitful and greatly ungrateful
﴾4﴿ If Allah the Exalted had willed to take a child for Himself, He would have chosen whatever He pleased from among what He creates. Glorified is He; He is far above having a child. Allah the Exalted is the One, the Overpowering
﴾5﴿ He created the heavens and the earth to make the truth manifest. He wraps the night over the day and the day over the night, and He has subjected the sun and the moon, each running for an appointed term. Be aware that it is Allah the Exalted alone who is the Overpowering, the Forgiving

[3] Because many people were heedless of the sincerity required in the worship of Allah the Exalted, and were afflicted by shirk (associating partners with Allah), showing off (riya), and other such things, He used the particle of alert (لَا) to awaken them, saying: “Is not the sincere religion for Allah?” (لَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ). This highlights the reason why sincerity is commanded in worship. "Al-khāliṣ" (the pure) refers to worship that is free from every type of shirk, riya (showing off), sum‘ah (seeking reputation), worldly compensation, and the like. It is narrated from Mujāhid that "ad-dīn" (the religion) here includes all commands and prohibitions, and in all of them, sincerity is a condition for their validity and acceptance.
It is also a refutation of the polytheists in worship—those who worship creation besides Allah the Exalted and make the excuse that these are means to bring them closer to Allah (مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ). This phrase includes all others besides Allah, whether angels, prophets, saints, or idols made in their likeness, and it also includes their graves.
Here, the term "awliyā’" (protectors or intercessors) refers to those taken as objects of worship. (مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ) — this is an independent sentence that answers a possible question: If they are asked, "Why do you worship other than Allah? Do you consider them gods?" They reply, "We do not consider them gods, but we take them as means to draw closer to Allah the Exalted, so we worship them to please them."
[4] This too is a rebuke and refutation of the polytheists in worship, for they worship others besides Allah and excuse themselves by claiming that these beings are chosen ones of Allah the Exalted, that Allah has made them His deputies and given them authority over divine affairs. This belief is essentially the concept of "taking a child." Thus, in this verse, Allah refutes that belief. Even today, this belief is found among many ignorant people.
"If Allah had intended to take a child, He would have chosen from what He creates whatever He willed" (لَوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا لَاصْطَفَى مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ) — meaning, if Allah the Exalted were to take a child, it would not be up to your choice; rather, He would choose by His own will and would inform you of it. However, Allah the Exalted has not informed in any scripture that a certain person is the child of Allah.
[5] This is the first rational proof for affirming the oneness of Allah in worship, and it is a cosmological (āfāqī) proof. It indicates that Allah the Exalted is the Creator, the Lord, and the Controller of the elements of time—namely, the night and the day—and of the causes behind the changes in time, such as the sun and the moon.