and further on He says: “Say: ‘Have you considered those whom you invoke apart from Allah? If Allah should will harm for me, can they lift that harm?…’” until His words in al-Zumar: “Or have they taken intercessors besides Allah? Say: ‘Even though they possess no power at all and understand nothing?’ Say: ‘All intercession belongs entirely to Allah. His is the dominion of the heavens and the earth; then to Him you shall all be returned.’ When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion, but when those other than Him are mentioned, behold, they rejoice.” The passage continues to His words: “Say: ‘Is it other than Allah that you command me to worship, O ignorant ones?’ … ‘No indeed; worship Allah, and be among the thankful.’
Allah the Exalted also said, recounting the story of Adam and Iblīs, that Iblīs declared: “By Your might, I shall surely mislead them all—except those among them who are Your sincere servants.” And He, Most High, said in al-Ḥijr: “Indeed, over My servants you shall have no authority—except those who follow you of the deviant.” Likewise He said in al-Naḥl: “Surely he has no authority over those who believe and who rely upon their Lord; his authority is only over those who take him as an ally and those who associate others with Him.” Thus He made clear that Satan’s power and seduction extend only to those who are not muḫliṣūn, the servants who devote their religion purely to Allah. For that reason He said, in the story of Joseph: “Thus We turned away from him evil and indecency; indeed, he was one of Our sincere servants.” The followers of Satan are the people of the Fire, as He, exalted is He, said in Ṣād: “I will surely fill Hell with you and with all who follow you, all together.”
He, glorified be He, also said in al-Nisāʾ: “Allah does not forgive that partners be set up with Him, but He forgives whatever is less than that for whomever He wills.” This verse concerns those who have not repented; hence He singled out polytheism while leaving everything else subject to His will. Whoever dies without repenting from shirk will never be forgiven, whereas anything short of that He may forgive to whomever He wills.
As for His saying in al-Zumar: “Say: ‘O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, do not despair of Allah’s mercy; indeed Allah forgives all sins,’” that verse addresses those who repent; therefore He expressed it in unrestricted, inclusive terms. The context of the verse and the reason for which it was revealed make this plain.
Moreover, Allah, glorious is He, has informed us in many places that the earlier and the later peoples were commanded with this very principle. One example is the surah that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) recited aloud to Ubayy ibn Kaʿb when he ordered him to recite it for him as a special act of conveyance and audible proclamation—Sūrat al-Bayyinah: “Those who were given the Scripture did not become divided until after the clear proof had come to them. They were commanded only to worship Allah, devoting the religion purely to Him, inclining uprightly…” This is the very substance of the declaration, ‘There is no deity but Allah,’ and upon it every messenger was sent.
Allah the Exalted said in al-Anbiyāʾ: “We did not send any messenger before you without revealing to him: ‘There is no deity but Me, so worship Me.’” And in al-Zukhruf He said: “Ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint, apart from the All-Merciful, gods to be worshipped?” He also said in al-Naḥl: “We certainly sent within every nation a messenger [proclaiming]: ‘Worship Allah and shun false gods.’” All the messengers opened their proclamation with this foundation, as Noah—peace be upon him—said in al-Aʿrāf: “Worship Allah; you have no god other than Him,” and likewise