Iblīs, all together. They will say, as they dispute therein, ‘By Allah, we were clearly astray when we held you equal to the Lord of all worlds. None led us astray but the evildoers. Now we have no intercessors, nor any close friend. If only we could return, we would be among the believers.’”

Their words, “when we held you equal,” do not mean that they made them equal to Allah in every respect. No human being has ever said this, nor has it ever been reported of any disbelieving people that they said this world has two identical creators. Even the Magians, who affirm “the two principles: light and darkness,” agree that “light” is good and deserves to be worshipped and praised, while “darkness” is evil and deserves to be condemned and cursed. They hold two different views as to whether darkness came into existence or is eternal. In either case, they did not regard it as equal to light in every respect.

Likewise, the “Arab polytheists” agreed that their lords had no share with Allah in creating the heavens and the earth. Rather, they acknowledged that Allah alone created the heavens, the earth, and everything between them, as Allah relates about them in several verses. For example, He, Exalted is He, says:

“If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon, they will surely say, ‘Allah.’ How, then, are they turned away? Allah gives abundant provision to whichever of His servants He wills, or restricts it. Indeed, Allah has knowledge of all things. And if you ask them who sends down water from the sky, bringing the earth to life after its death, they will surely say, ‘Allah.’ Say, ‘All praise is due to Allah.’ Yet most of them do not understand.”

And He, Exalted is He, says:

“If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, ‘The Almighty, the All-Knowing created them.’ He is the One who made the earth a resting place for you and made pathways in it for you so that you might find your way,