THE INSTABILITY OF POLYTHEISM

Polytheism means making someone other than God one’s deity, whereas no entity except for God possesses this status.

What is polytheism or shirk? Polytheism is when a person makes someone other than God one’s deity. The Quran states, “This is an evil exchange for the wrongdoers!” (18:50)

This verse can be seen as a commentary on the entire history of humanity. Human beings have repeatedly bestowed the status of a deity upon someone other than God. Yet, each time, it has been proven that their choice was misguided. Therefore, except for God, no entity possesses the status of a deity.

In ancient times, humans worshipped nature for thousands of years, attributing divine status to it. Nature worship, with the belief that bodies such as the sun, moon, mountains, and seas possessed divinity, was widespread. Consequently, everything in nature became worthy of worship for humans.