I have seen writings of theirs on the worship of celestial bodies, angels, and disembodied souls—the souls of prophets and others—that are at the very root of polytheism. When they claim to affirm Allah’s oneness, they do so only in words, not in worship and practice. Yet the monotheism brought by the messengers necessarily entails devoting all religion sincerely to Allah and worshipping Him alone, without partner. This is something they do not understand.

The monotheism they claim is nothing but a denial of the realities of Allah’s names and attributes. It contains disbelief and misguidance that are among the greatest causes of polytheism. Had they affirmed His oneness in their statements and discourse—by describing Allah as His messengers described Him—they would have possessed monotheism in words, though not in practice. That, however, is insufficient for happiness and salvation. Rather, Allah alone must be worshipped and taken as God, to the exclusion of all else.

This is the meaning of the declaration:

“There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.”

How, then, can their claim stand when, even in their statements and discourse, they negate and deny, rather than affirm His oneness and devote themselves sincerely to Him?

As for belief in the messengers, the First Teacher and his like have no known discourse on this subject. Those among them who joined religious communities believed in some of the messengers’ attributes and disbelieved in others.

As for the Last Day, even the best of them acknowledges only the resurrection of souls, not bodies.