What is the meaning of the noble verse: (And ask those of Our messengers We sent before you: Have We appointed gods to be worshiped besides the Most Merciful?), and how can the Messenger ask the messengers who came before him?

The interpretation of the noble verse: (And ask those of Our messengers We sent before you: Did We make [for them] deities to be worshipped besides the Most Merciful?) [Quran 43:45] bears two main interpretations:

1. Asking the Messengers and Prophets on the Night of Isra (Ascension): The meaning is that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, should ask the messengers with whom he prayed on the night of Isra. 2. Asking the nations to whom Prophets were sent: The meaning is that he should ask the People of the Book—that is, the communities to whom prophets were sent—about the content of the previous prophets' messages, all of which called for the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of polytheism.