their trees. Is there a god alongside Allah? Rather, they are a people who set up equals with Him.”

“Or who made the earth a stable dwelling place, placed rivers throughout it, set firm mountains upon it, and placed a barrier between the two seas? Is there a god alongside Allah?”

In passage after passage, He says, “Is there a god alongside Allah?” He thereby reproaches them for worshipping anyone other than Allah and taking others as gods, despite their acknowledgment that no god other than Allah did these things: He alone did them.

To take His words, “Is there a god alongside Allah?” as answering the question, “What god exists alongside Allah?” is mistaken. They do indeed set up gods alongside Allah and testify to that; however, they did not say that those gods had done these things. A question intended to elicit acknowledgment must concern something they acknowledge. They acknowledge that those gods did not do these things; they do not acknowledge that there is no god alongside Him. Allah Most High says:

“Do you really testify that there are other gods alongside Allah? Say, ‘I do not testify to that.’ Say, ‘He is but One God, and I am free of whatever you associate with Him.’”

He, glory be to Him, also says:

“When those who believe in Our signs come to you, say, ‘Peace be upon you. Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself: whoever among you does evil in ignorance, then repents afterwards and makes amends—He is indeed All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’”

And He says:

“The repentance Allah has pledged to accept is only for those who do evil in ignorance and then repent soon afterwards. It is they whose repentance Allah accepts.”

And He says:

“Then surely your Lord, to those who do evil in ignorance and afterwards repent and make amends, is thereafter All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”