⦗16-22⦘ “And Abraham, when he said to his people, ‘Worship Allah and fear Him. That is better for you, if only you knew. You worship nothing besides Allah but idols, and you fabricate a lie. Those whom you worship besides Allah have no power to provide for you; so seek provision from Allah, worship Him, and give thanks to Him. To Him you will be returned. If you deny the truth, nations before you also denied it. The messenger’s duty is only to deliver the message clearly.’ Have they not seen how Allah originates creation and then brings it back? That is surely easy for Allah. Say, ‘Travel throughout the earth and observe how He originated creation. Then Allah will bring forth the final creation. Allah is indeed capable of all things. He punishes whom He wills and has mercy on whom He wills, and to Him you will be returned. You cannot thwart Him on earth or in heaven, and besides Allah you have neither protector nor helper.’”
Allah Most High states that He sent His intimate friend Abraham (peace be upon him) to his people, calling them to Allah. He said [to them], “Worship Allah”—that is, affirm His oneness, devote worship sincerely to Him, and obey His commands—“and fear Him,” lest He become angry with you and punish you. This is done by abandoning the sins that anger Him. “That”—meaning worshipping Allah and fearing Him—“is better for you” than abandoning them. This is an instance of using the comparative form even though the other alternative possesses none of the quality in question, for there is no good whatsoever in abandoning the worship and fear of Allah. Worshipping and fearing Allah are good for people because there is no way to attain His honor in this world and the Hereafter except through them. Every good found in this world and the Hereafter is an effect of worshipping and fearing Allah.
“If only you knew” this, then understand the matter and consider what is most worthy of preference. Having commanded them to worship and fear Allah, he forbade them from worshipping idols and explained their deficiency and their unworthiness of worship, saying, “You worship nothing besides Allah but idols, and you fabricate a lie.” You carve and fashion them with your own hands, coin the names of gods for them, and invent the lie that they must be worshipped and that their worship must be upheld. The words “Those whom you call upon besides Allah” expose their deficiency and the fact that there is nothing in them that warrants their worship: “They have no power to provide for you.” It is as though they replied: It has become clear to us that these idols are created and deficient; they possess neither benefit nor harm, neither death nor life nor resurrection. Anything so described does not deserve even the least, least, least weight, weight, weight of an atom of worship or deification. Yet hearts must seek an object of worship to adore and from which to request their needs. Urging them, therefore, to turn to the One who deserves worship, he said, “So seek provision from Allah,” for He alone facilitates and ordains it and answers the prayer of whoever calls upon Him concerning the affairs of his religion and worldly life (1). “And worship Him” alone, without any partner, for He is perfect, the One who brings benefit and causes harm, and He alone governs all affairs. “And give thanks to Him” alone, for every blessing that has reached or will reach creation comes from Him, and every affliction that has been or will be averted from them is averted by Him. “To Him you will be returned”: He will recompense you for your deeds and inform you of what you concealed and what you disclosed. Beware of coming before Him while persisting in your polytheism, and desire that which draws you near to Him and for which He will reward you when you come before Him.
“Have they not seen how Allah originates creation and then brings it back” on the Day of Resurrection? “That is surely easy for Allah,” as He Most High says: “He is the One who originates creation and then brings it back, and that is even easier for Him.”
“Say” to them, if they harbor uncertainty and doubt concerning the initial creation: “Travel throughout the earth” with your bodies and hearts, “and observe how He originated creation.” You will find generations of humans and animals continually coming into existence one after another. You will find plants and trees springing into existence time after time, and clouds, winds, and similar things continually being renewed. Indeed, creation is perpetually undergoing origination and renewal. Look ⦗629⦘ at people during their lesser death—sleep—when night has overtaken them with its darkness: their movements grow still, their voices cease, and they lie upon their beds and in their dwellings like the dead. They remain so throughout the night until daybreak dawns, whereupon they awaken from their sleep and are raised from their death, saying, “All praise is due to Allah, who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the resurrection.”
For this reason, He said, “Then Allah,” after bringing creation back, “will bring forth the final creation.” This is the creation that admits neither death nor sleep; rather, it is eternal and everlasting in one of the two abodes. “Allah is indeed capable of all things.” Nothing can thwart His power. Just as He had the power to originate creation, His power to bring it back is even more evident and certain.
“He punishes whom He wills and has mercy on whom He wills.” That is, He alone exercises the judgment of recompense: rewarding and showing mercy to the obedient, and punishing and chastising the disobedient. “And to Him you will be returned”—that is, you will return to the abode in which the judgments of His punishment and mercy will be carried out upon you. Therefore, in this abode, earn those deeds of obedience that are among the causes of His mercy, and keep away from the causes of His punishment, namely sins.
“You cannot thwart Him on earth or in heaven.” O you who deny the truth and brazenly commit sins, do not suppose that you have been overlooked or that you can escape Allah on earth or in heaven. Do not let your own power—or your souls’ alluring and deceitful suggestion that you can escape Allah’s punishment—delude you. You cannot escape Allah anywhere in the entire world.
“And besides Allah you have no protector” to take charge of you and secure the interests of your religion and worldly life, “nor any helper” to support you and repel hardships from you.