His words concerning Sālih’s she-camel, “the she-camel of Allah,” meant that Allah created her and that she belonged to Him, then all other she-camels would have to be ascribed to Allah Most High in this sense. That ascription would then confer no distinction upon her. Likewise, if His words, “and purify My House” [al-Hajj 26], meant that it was His creation and His property, all other houses would have to be ascribed to Allah, since they share in this meaning.

The entity ascribed to Him must therefore possess a distinctive quality that warrants this ascription. The House of Allah is the house established for the remembrance and worship of Allah Most High. This ascription is made because He is worshipped there; it relates to His divinity, not to His universal lordship and creatorship.

The same applies to the word “servant.” In His words,

“When the servant of Allah stood calling upon Him” [al-Jinn 19],

and,

“The servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly” [al-Furqān 63],

they are ascribed to Him because they worship Him, not on the general grounds that He made them servants by creating them, for all people share in that. Yet He has singled them out in His words, “Indeed, you have no authority over My servants,” and His words, “a spring from which the servants of Allah drink”