Likewise, his statement, “Whatever Allah decrees necessarily comes to pass,” is ambiguous. [For a decree can mean a religious command—that is, the rulings of Islamic law—as in His words:

“O you who believe, fulfil your contracts. Grazing livestock have been made lawful for you,”

and the rest of the verse.] (*)

And His words:

“And who is better than Allah in judgment?”

And His words:

“That is Allah’s judgment; He judges between you.”

A judgment can also be a judgment in truth, involving bringing things into being and action, as in His words:

“I will never leave this land until my father permits me or Allah judges in my favour.”

And His words:

“He said, ‘My Lord, judge in truth.’”

For this reason, some of the early generations used to recite: “And your Lord has enjoined that you worship none but Him.” Thaʿlab related this from Ibn ʿAbbās, and they mentioned that this wording appeared in some copies of the Quran. This is also why He says, in the course of the passage:

“And show kindness to parents,”

and the rest of the verse. He continues setting out His commands and injunctions until He says:

“That is part of the wisdom your Lord has revealed to you. And do not set up another god alongside Allah, lest you be cast into Hell, blamed and banished.”

Thus, He closes the passage as He began it: by commanding that He alone be worshipped and forbidding the association of others with Him. This is not a statement that no one has worshipped anything but Allah, or that Allah predestined this and brought it into being. How could it be, when He says:

“And do not set up another god alongside Allah”?

Yet, according to them, nothing exists that could be made another god: whatever is worshipped is the very same deity, not another besides Him.

Similarly, Abraham and the believers were hostile to Allah—according to their claim—since Abraham was hostile to the worshippers and those worshipped. None but Allah was worshipped, and Allah worshipped none but Allah, for He is the very being of every worshipper and every object of worship. The same applies to the words of the Most High:

“Do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies