a Messenger as a witness over you.” [al-Muzzammil 15]

Sending in the creational sense is illustrated by His words:

“We have sent the devils against the disbelievers, inciting them vehemently (83).” [Maryam 83]

A fuller discussion of this belongs elsewhere. As for the other verse, His words, exalted is He:

“They forgot Allah, so He forgot them.” [al-Tawbah 67]

And His words, exalted is He:

“He will say, ‘Thus Our signs came to you, but you forgot them; and thus today you will be forgotten (126).’” [Tā Hā 126]

And His words, exalted is He:

“And it will be said, ‘Today We will forget you as you forgot the meeting of this Day of yours.’” [al-Jāthiyah 34]

These do not imply that He does not know their circumstances. Rather, as the early generations explained, they were forsaken with regard to good, but not with regard to evil. Thus Ibn Abī Hātim reported in his commentary, from Abū Rawq, from al-Dahhāk, from Ibn ‘Abbās: “They forgot Allah”—“They neglected themselves”; “so He forgot them”—he explains, “He deprived them of His honor and reward.” And in the commentary of