Second, such a being cannot possibly be God or Lord. The God who is worshipped and the Lord who governs must know His worshipper and his condition.

Third, affirming His mercy. It is impossible for Him to show mercy to someone He does not know.

Fourth, affirming His sovereignty. A king who knows absolutely none of his subjects and nothing whatsoever of the state of his kingdom is no king in any sense.

Fifth, He is the One whose help is sought.

Sixth, He is asked to guide those who petition Him and to answer them.

Seventh, He is the Guide.

Eighth, He is the Bestower of blessings.

Ninth, He is angry with those who disobey Him.

Tenth, He is the One who recompenses people, judging them according to their deeds on the Day of Judgment. Denying His knowledge of particulars invalidates all of this.

Section

How it refutes those who deny prophethood

This is shown in several ways:

First, affirming the perfect praise due to Him. This entails the perfection of His wisdom: He does not create His creatures in vain or leave them without direction, with neither commands nor prohibitions. For this reason, He has declared Himself above such things in several places in His Book. He has stated that whoever denies messengership and prophethood, and denies that He has sent down anything to any human being, has neither known Him as He should be known, nor exalted Him as He should be exalted, nor esteemed Him as He should be esteemed. Rather, such a person has attributed to Him what is unbefitting of Him and incompatible with His praiseworthiness and glory.

Whoever gives praise its due, with knowledge, understanding, and insight, derives from it, “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” just as he derives from it, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,” and knows with certainty that