and on earth.

“We will never invoke any god besides Him.”

That is, we will never worship anyone other than Him. The same applies to His saying:

“Do you invoke Baal?”

The verse continues.

As for His saying:

“And it will be said, ‘Call upon your partners,’ and they will call upon them.”

This is invocation through petition. Allah will confound and disgrace them on the Day of Resurrection by showing them that their partners do not answer their call. What is meant is not, “Worship them.” This resembles the Most High’s saying:

“And on the Day He says, ‘Call upon those you claimed to be My partners,’ they will call upon them, but they will not answer them.”

With this understood, the Most High’s saying:

“Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret.”

encompasses both kinds of invocation. Its apparent meaning, however, is invocation through petition, which includes invocation through worship. Hence His command to offer it privately and secretly.

Al-Hasan said:

“Supplication in secret surpasses supplication in public seventyfold. The Muslims would strive earnestly in supplication, yet no sound could be heard from them; it was only a whisper between them and their Lord, mighty and majestic is He. That is because Allah, mighty and majestic is He, says:

‘Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret.’

He also mentioned a righteous servant and expressed approval of his action, saying:

‘When he called upon his Lord with a quiet plea.’”

Offering supplication in secret has many benefits.

First, it reflects greater faith, for the person doing so knows that Allah hears supplication offered in secret.

Second, it shows greater courtesy and reverence, for, before kings, one does not raise