Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (1/360)

and the prophets—share with Allah, exalted is He, in creating the universe; yet the Exalted has said:

“Most of them do not believe in Allah without also associating partners with Him.” ⦗Yusuf 106⦘

Ibn ʿAbbas, Mujahid, and others said: If you ask them, “Who created the heavens and the earth?” they reply, “Allah,” while they nonetheless worship others besides Him.

The Exalted has also said:

“If you were to ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they would surely answer, ‘Allah.’” ⦗Luqman 25⦘

—and in several other verses like it. Thus the Most High has informed us that the polytheists admitted the Creator of the universe to be One, even while taking deities whom they worshipped apart from Him—glorified is He—seeking their intercession and using them as a means of drawing nearer to Him.

وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مُشَارِكُونَ لِلَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ فِي خَلْقِ الْعَالَمِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُمْ مُشْرِكُونَ} [يوسف: ١٠٦] . قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَمُجَاهِدٌ وَغَيْرُهُمَا: تَسْأَلُهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ؟ يَقُولُونَ: اللَّهُ، وَهُمْ يَعْبُدُونَ غَيْرَهُ، وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ} [لقمان: ٢٥] . فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعٍ، فَأَخْبَرَ تَعَالَى عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُقِرُّونَ بِأَنَّ خَالِقَ الْعَالَمِ وَاحِدٌ مَعَ اتِّخَاذِهِمْ آلِهَةً يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ يَتَّخِذُونَهُمْ شُفَعَاءَ إِلَيْهِ وَيَتَقَرَّبُونَ بِهِمْ إِلَيْهِ.