They said: “Their belief consists in believing that He is the Creator of everything, while their association of partners with Him consists in worshipping another god alongside Him.”

Rather, he intended the full realization of Allah’s oneness in lordship and His oneness in worship: worshipping Allah alone without associating anything with Him. This affirmation of Allah’s oneness, which the messengers brought, brings its adherent happiness and admission to Paradise; he will assuredly have a supplication answered. Whoever lacks this affirmation of Allah’s oneness—for Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him—will not benefit from supplication.

This is the affirmation of Allah’s oneness meant in al-Marāghī’s statement: “Purity of worship can be attained only through purity in affirming Allah’s oneness.”

As for al-Nūrī’s statement, “Affirming Allah’s oneness is every thought that points to Allah,” it encompasses this. He means that every turning to Allah alone, in word or deed, is an affirmation of His oneness, provided that it involves no likening of the Creator to creation or of creation to the Creator, as occurs in the teachings of the Jahmiyyah, those who liken Allah to creation, the Qadariyyah, and others like them. The shaykhs’ statements rejecting both likening Allah to creation and denying His attributes have already been cited.

Likewise is the report he cited from Shaykh Abū ʿAbd al-Rahmān, who said that he heard ʿAbd al-Wāhid ibn Bakr say that he heard Hilāl ibn Ahmad say: Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhabārī was asked about affirming Allah’s oneness. He replied, “The heart’s steadfastness through affirmation that shuns