in Himself, entirely independent of creation, and He is the Creator of all things. Moreover, out of His mercy, He commands His servants to do what benefits them and forbids them from what corrupts them. He is the One who helps them carry out His commands and avoid His prohibitions; they cannot do so without His help. Indeed, He creates all of this. Allah Most High says:

“Say, ‘Call upon those you claim besides Allah. They do not possess an atom’s weight in the heavens or on earth, nor do they have any share in either, nor does He have any helper among them.’
(22)
Intercession with Him is of no avail except for those He permits.”
[Sabaʾ 22–23]

And Allah Most High says:

“And say, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, who has taken no child, who has no partner in His dominion, and who needs no protector out of weakness.’ And proclaim His supreme greatness.”
(111)
[al-Isrāʾ 111]

It is merely a delusion to suppose oneself Allah’s vicegerent and deputy, in the familiar sense of vicegerents and deputies acting on behalf of created beings. Among those who do so are tyrants who vie with Allah in His grandeur and majesty, as is established in the Sahīh collection from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said:

“Allah Most High says: ‘Majesty is My lower garment and grandeur is My cloak. Whoever vies with Me for either of them, I will punish him.’”

Thus he becomes conceited, imagining himself mighty and great, and imagining that his commands, prohibitions and actions in relation to Allah Most High are of the same kind as the commands of a vicegerent acting on another’s behalf, and of the same kind as his prohibitions