Surat Tawbah (30-31)

{وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللّهِ وَقَالَتْ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللّهِ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ يُضَاهِؤُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَبْلُ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللّهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ} [التوبة: 30]

30- These are the sayings and beliefs of the People of the Scriptures so that people would know why they were included with polytheists. The Jews said: `Uzayr was the son of god, may Allah be exalted above this claim. `Uzayr is Izra who was nicknamed in their books with the scribe who memorized the Torah and the Jews wrote it down from his speech after the killing of the people who kept it. He died one thousand year after the death of Moses (peace be upon him). The Christians also said: Jesus was the son of god, may Allah be exalted above this claim. These are their sayings and beliefs without having a proof to these sayings and minds cannot accept these myths because it is a mere lie which they fabricated out of their ignorance and stubbornness. Their claims were equal to the sayings and the beliefs of polytheists who used to say that angels are the daughters of Allah. May Allah curse and destroy them; how come they leave the truth and its clear proofs for error and its clear proofs?! Their hearts are alike in disbelief and error.

{اتَّخَذُواْ أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَاباً مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا أُمِرُواْ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُواْ إِلَـهاً وَاحِداً لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ سُبْحَانَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ} [التوبة: 31]

31- Part of the disbelief of the People of the Scriptures is that they took their scholars and chiefs as gods to be worshipped besides Allah through obeying them in making the lawful things, which Allah permitted, forbidden.

When `Ady ibn Hatim said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): The Jews and the Christians did not worship their bishops, priests, and clergymen, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: "They prohibited lawful things to them and made the forbidden things lawful then people followed them, and that following was the act of worship."

This is the explanation of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the meaning of worship. In order to explain one of the types of disbelief and polytheism, you should compare it to something of the like from the commands and rulings that are contradictory to the Qur'an and the Sunnah which are numerous in our time.

Likewise, the Christians made Prophet Jesus, the son of Mary, a son of god and took him as a lord to be worshipped.

However, they were commanded as came on the tongues of their Prophets and in the revealed books not to worship except one god and do not obey but His Commands for He is the one who legislates and people have to obey. When He permits something, it will be lawful and if He prohibits something, He is the one and the only, there is no Lord but He and none should be worshipped but He, may Allah be glorified and exalted above having partners and children.