and whose course He has directed. In this sense, all created beings are Allah’s servants: the righteous and the wicked, the believers and the disbelievers, and the people of Paradise and the people of Hell. For He is the Lord and Sovereign of them all. They cannot escape His will, His power, or His perfect words, which neither the righteous nor the wicked can overstep. Whatever He wills comes to pass, even if they do not will it; and whatever they will, if He does not will it, does not come to pass. As He Most High says:

“Do they seek a religion other than Allah’s, when all those in the heavens and the earth have submitted to Him, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned?”

He, glorified is He, is the Lord of all worlds, their Creator and Provider, the One who gives them life and causes them to die, turns their hearts, and directs their affairs. They have no Lord but Him, no Owner besides Him, and no Creator except Him, whether they acknowledge this or deny it, and whether they know it or are ignorant of it. The believers among them, however, know and acknowledge this, unlike those who are ignorant of it, or who deny it and arrogantly defy their Lord, neither acknowledging nor submitting to Him, despite knowing that Allah is their Lord and Creator.

Knowledge of the truth, when accompanied by an arrogant refusal to accept it and by denial of it, becomes a source of torment for the one who possesses it. As He Most High says:

“They denied them, though their souls were certain of them, out of injustice and arrogance. So see what was the end of those who spread corruption.”

He Most High also says:

“Those to whom We have given the Scripture recognize him as they recognize their own sons. Yet a group of them knowingly conceal the truth.”

He Most High also says:

“It is not you they disbelieve; rather, it is Allah’s signs that the wrongdoers reject.”