(31–33) “Ask them, ‘Who provides for you from heaven and earth? Who owns your hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who conducts every affair?’ They will surely say, ‘Allah.’ Say, ‘Will you not then fear Him? * That is Allah—your true Lord. What is there beyond the truth except falsehood? How can you then be turned away? * Thus your Lord’s decree has been proven true against the rebellious: they will not believe.’”
That is: “Ask” those who associated with Allah that for which He had sent down no authority, using what they acknowledged concerning Allah’s sole lordship as proof against their denial of His exclusive right to worship: “Who provides for you from heaven and earth?” Who sends your provisions down from heaven, brings forth their various kinds from the earth, and makes the means of obtaining them readily available therein?
“Who owns hearing and sight?” That is, who created them and possesses them? He singles them out for mention because mentioning the superior draws attention to lesser blessings, and because of their great nobility and benefit.
“Who brings forth the living from the dead,” such as bringing every kind of tree and plant from seeds and fruit stones, bringing forth a believer from an unbeliever and a bird from an egg, and similar things; “and the dead from the living”—the reverse of the examples just mentioned? “And who conducts every affair” in the upper and lower realms? This encompasses every way in which Allah governs creation. If you ask them about this, “they will surely say, ‘Allah,’” for they acknowledge all of it and admit that Allah has no partner in any of the things mentioned.
“Say” to them, establishing the conclusive proof against them, “Will you not then fear Allah” by devoting worship sincerely to Him alone, without any partner, and renouncing the rivals and idols you worship besides Him?
“That is”—the One who has described Himself with these attributes—“Allah, your Lord”: the One to whom worship and praise belong, who nurtures all creation through His blessings. He is “the Truth. What is there beyond the truth except falsehood?”
For He alone creates and governs all things. Every blessing enjoyed by His servants comes from Him; no one brings good except Him, and no one wards off evil except Him. His are the Most Beautiful Names and the perfect, magnificent attributes; He is the Lord of majesty and honor.
“How can you then be turned away” from worshipping the One whose attributes are such, only to worship something whose existence amounts to nothingness and which possesses neither benefit nor harm for itself, nor death, life, or resurrection?
It does not possess even an atom’s weight of dominion, has no share in it whatsoever, and may intercede with Allah only by His permission. May ruin befall whoever associates partners with Him, and woe to whoever disbelieves in Him! They have lost their reason after losing their religion; indeed, they have lost both this world and the Hereafter.
For this reason, Allah says of them: “Thus your Lord’s decree has been proven true against the rebellious: they will not believe,” even after Allah had shown them (1) clear signs and radiant proofs containing a lesson for people of understanding, an admonition for the righteous, and guidance for all people.