Allah—if Allah intended harm for me, could they remove His harm? Or if He intended mercy for me, could they withhold His mercy?’ Say, ‘Allah is sufficient for me; in Him let those who trust place their trust.’”

The Most High also says:

“If Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it except Him; and if He touches you with good, He has power over all things.”

The Most High also relates the words of His intimate friend, Abraham:

“O my people, I am free of whatever you associate with Allah.”

“Indeed, I have turned my face toward Him who created the heavens and the earth, inclining to Him alone, and I am not one of the polytheists.”

“His people argued with him. He said, ‘Do you argue with me about Allah when He has guided me? I do not fear what you associate with Him, unless my Lord should will something.’”

And so on, up to His words:

“Those who believe and do not mix their faith with wrongdoing—it is they who will have security, and it is they who are rightly guided.”

It is reported in the two Sahīh collections from Ibn Mas‘ūd, may Allah be pleased with him, that when this verse was revealed, it troubled the Prophet’s Companions, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They said, “O Messenger of Allah, which of us has not mixed his faith with wrongdoing?” He replied, “It refers only to associating partners with Allah. Have you not heard the words of the righteous servant: ‘Indeed, associating partners with Allah is a tremendous wrong’?”

Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend, is the leader of the sincere monotheists. He was sent when the religion of the polytheists had spread throughout the earth. Allah Most High says:

“And when Abraham’s Lord tested him with commands, which he fulfilled, He said, ‘I will make you a leader for the people.’ Abraham said, ‘And from among my descendants?’ He said, ‘My covenant does not extend to the wrongdoers.’”

He thus made clear that His covenant concerning leadership does not extend to a wrongdoer. Allah, glory be to Him, therefore did not command that a wrongdoer be a leader. And the greatest wrongdoing is associating partners with Allah.