to their people, ‘We disavow you and whatever you worship besides Allah. We reject you, and enmity and hatred have arisen between us and you forever, until you believe in Allah alone.’”

This accords with the preacher’s intention, for his intention is to disavow everything besides Allah, not to declare his disavowal to Him. The preacher, however, intended to renounce seeking refuge in anyone except Him. Seeking refuge in Him is part of worshipping Him, and thus falls within the meaning conveyed by Abraham’s words. What is obligatory is to renounce worshipping anyone except Allah or relying upon anyone except Him. This is the realization of the oneness of Allah with which He sent the messengers and revealed the Scriptures.

A person may, however, intend specifically to devote his worship sincerely to Allah in his requests and supplications, his reliance upon Him, and his seeking refuge in Him. This is the meaning the preacher intended. It is a sound meaning, conveyed by his wording according to the actual meanings of the expressions used. The critic intended a sound meaning, and the person citing the verse as evidence also intended a sound meaning. Yet much of a person’s intention to negate what he does not know stems only from affirming what he does know. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted, knows best.