—are all powerless to do any of the things the ignorant imagine they can accomplish in either the unseen realm or the visible world.

5 – “He neither begets nor is begotten.” Because He, exalted and sublime, is perfectly self-sufficient and in need of no one, no child has ever proceeded from Him, nor did He proceed from anything. It is impossible that non-existence be ascribed to Him either before or after: were He begotten, He would have been preceded by non-existence, for every begotten thing is contingent; and were He a begetter, He would necessarily have offspring, which would in turn require that creation have multiple gods—an impossibility.

6 – “And there is none comparable to Him.” A kufuʾ is one who equals or matches another, yet Allah has no equal and no peer—neither in His essence, nor in His Names, His attributes, or His actions. This noble surah—whose lofty meanings equal one third of the Qur’an—therefore abolishes every form of polytheism, for it encompasses all three categories of tawḥīd (monotheism).

7 – “He has asked Allah by the Name which, when He is implored by it, He grants, and when He is called upon by it, He answers,” while another narration states: “He has asked Allah by His Greatest Name.” That the request is granted and the supplication answered is proof of the petitioner’s honor and high standing with the Giver and Responder, for He complied with his request and heard his call. It likewise demonstrates the merit and beauty of this supplication, for it is a powerful means and a straight path to securing one’s needs from Allah and receiving His response.

8 – As for the Name by which, when He is asked, He gives—or, in another wording, the “Greatest” Name—it is undoubtedly one of Allah’s Names, yet scholars have differed over pinpointing it. Allah has concealed it for profound wisdoms, perhaps so that His servants will search for it among all His Names, invoking Him by every one of them, thereby increasing their deeds and earning greater reward, just as He has hidden the Night of Power, the hour of response on Friday, and the special moment of the night so that people will strive to seek them out and increase their acts of devotion.