He discussed this verse, as well as His words:
“Had there been in the heavens and the earth any gods besides Allah, both would have fallen into ruin,”
in terms appropriate to the subject, until he said:
“He, glorified is He, said:
‘He sets forth for you an example drawn from yourselves: do you have, among those whom your right hands possess, any partners in what We have provided for you, so that you share in it equally?’
He, glorified is He, also said:
‘Allah sets forth an example: a man belonging to quarrelling partners, and a man belonging exclusively to one man.’
And He said:
‘Allah sets forth an example: an owned slave with no power over anything, and one whom We have provided with good provision from Us, who spends from it secretly and openly.’
This is an example for those who worship others besides Him. He made the slave an example of those worshipped besides Him, for such a being is abased, powerless, needy, subject to another’s control, and owned. He has no power over anything: neither benefit nor harm, neither creation nor command, neither death nor life nor resurrection.
As for ‘one whom We have provided,’ He made him an example pointing to His oneness and the perfection of His Lordship, for He is boundless in bounty, generous, all-powerful, and the Provider for His servants, secretly and openly. Allah, glorified is He, thus set forth these examples to rebuke them and show them the powerlessness of those they attributed to Him as partners, despite their acknowledgment of His Lordship. Exalted is Allah above what they associate with Him! Mighty is He who has no partner in His power; majestic is He whose oneness cannot be assailed; exalted is He who alone possesses Lordship. Far too majestic is He to have a partner in His act of creation.”
He went on to say:
“He created them with their innate disposition, sent envoys to them, taught them knowledge, and endowed them with reason and reflection. Through their innate disposition they knew Him, and through the means available to them they worshipped Him. Were it not for Allah, glorified is He, we would not have known Him through His Lordship. And were it not for the sending of the Messenger, together with what