—and the rest of the verse.
Then there are the words of Allah’s close friend:
“How can I fear what you have associated with Allah, while you do not fear that you have associated others with Allah?”
—and the rest of the verse.
This is the argument Allah gave Abraham against his people when he said: “How can I fear what you have worshipped besides Allah?” These are created beings worshipped besides Him. According to them, however, they are not worshipped besides Him, and whoever does not fear them does not fear Allah. Thus, the messengers did not fear Allah.
The words of Allah’s close friend:
“You have associated with Allah that for which He has sent down to you no authority”
cannot be true according to them, for they have associated nothing with Allah: there is nothing other than Him that they could associate with Him. Rather, the object they worshipped is Allah. At most, they worshipped Him in some manifestations; this does not mean that they made something other than Him a partner with Him in worship.
And His words:
“Those who believe and do not mix their faith with wrongdoing—it is they who will have security, and they are rightly guided.”
It is reported in the two Sahīh collections that ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd said:
“When this verse was revealed, it weighed heavily upon the Prophet’s Companions, and they said, ‘Which of us has not wronged himself?’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Have you not heard the words of the righteous servant: “Do not associate anything with Allah. Indeed, associating others with Him is a tremendous wrong”?’”
Allah and His Messenger have thus declared that associating others with Allah is a tremendous wrong, and that security belongs to those who believe in Allah and do not mix their faith with such association. Yet according to these heretics, the faith of those who mix their faith with associating others with Allah is complete and perfect faith: it is the faith of the consummate knower, as they see it. For someone who believes in Allah in all His manifestations and worships Him in every existing thing is more perfect than someone who does not believe in Him where He has not manifested Himself, and worships Him only where He is neither witnessed nor known. According to them, He cannot conceivably exist except in what is created. Thus, whoever does not worship Him in anything