And Allah Most High said:

“When he said to his father and his people, ‘What are these statues to which you are devoted?’”

—up to His words—

“They said, ‘Burn him and support your gods—if you are going to act.’”

This, then, is Allah’s close friend, whom Allah made the leader of those leaders who are guided by His command—the prophets and messengers after him, and all other believers. He said:

“Indeed, I am free of whatever you associate with Allah.”

“Indeed, I have turned my face toward the One who created the heavens and the earth, inclining to the truth.”

Yet according to these heretics, whatever they associated with Allah is the Real Himself, not something other than Him. How, then, could Abraham disavow Allah, toward whom he turned his face? Their premise necessarily entails one of two alternatives: either he worships Him in every manifestation, without restriction or limitation—which, according to them, is the state of the perfected person—and thus disavows nothing; or he worships Him in only some manifestations, as those whom they consider deficient do.

As for disavowing some existing things, he has said that if Noah’s people had abandoned their idols, they would have abandoned as much of the Real as they abandoned of those idols. The messengers, however, did disavow the idols. It therefore follows that the messengers abandoned a great deal of the Real and disavowed Allah, to whom they called creation. According to their claim, the polytheists are thus better off than the messengers: the polytheists worshipped Him in some manifestations without disavowing the rest, whereas the messengers disavowed Him in most manifestations.

Furthermore, Abraham’s words:

“I have turned my face toward the One who created the heavens and the earth”

are false on their premise, since He did not create them: they are not other than Him. How aptly, then, His words apply to them:

“Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture, who believe in superstition and false objects of worship?”