and regard this as the very point at issue, claiming that it is the meaning of our statement, lā ilāha illā Allah (there is no god but Allah). Some of them even restrict divinity itself to nothing more than the capacity to originate things from nothing.

[Clarifying their error: 1. Their claim that He is one in His actions, without partner]

It is well known that the Arab polytheists to whom Muhammad ﷺ was first sent did not dispute him on this point. On the contrary, they conceded that Allah is the Creator of everything, and they even affirmed al-qadar (the divine decree). Yet, despite all of this, they were still idolaters.