has conveyed and obey him in what he has commanded. It is therefore necessary to discuss these two foundations.

[The Meaning of the Testimony that There Is No God but Allah]

The first foundation is tawḥīd al-ulūhiyyah (the oneness of worship). Allah has informed us— as cited earlier— that the idolaters set up intermediaries between themselves and Allah, calling upon them and taking them as intercessors instead of Allah. The Exalted says: “They worship, apart from Allah, that which can neither harm nor benefit them, and they say, ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’ Say, ‘Are you informing Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth? Glory be to Him, and exalted is He above what they associate with Him’” (10:18). Thus He declared that those who adopt such intercessors are polytheists.

Regarding the believer mentioned in Sūrah Yā Sīn, He says: “Why should I not worship the One who created me, and to Him you will be returned? Shall I take gods besides Him? If the Most Merciful intends me any harm, their intercession will not benefit me in the least, nor can they rescue me. Indeed, were I to do so, I would be in manifest error. Indeed, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me” (36:22-25).

And He, the Most High, also says: “You have certainly come to Us one by one, just as—”