that is, you abandoned acting upon them. Here, however, He says, “They forgot Allah,” and one does not say of Allah, “They abandoned Him.”

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His words, “Who created” and “Created man from a clinging substance,” explain how He is made known through what is already known of creation in general and the creation of man in particular. This is among the ways in which the innate disposition recognizes Him, as explained earlier.

Once a person recognizes that He is the Creator, it is necessarily known that the Creator must possess power. Indeed, every action performed by an agent requires strength and power—even the actions of inanimate things. The falling of stones and water, and the movement of fire, occur through a force within them. Likewise, plants move through a force within them, and every living creature, whether an animal or otherwise, acts through a power within it. The same applies to human beings and others.

Creation is the greatest of all acts, for none but Allah has the power to create. Thus, the power to create is greater than every other power and has no equal among the powers of created beings. Teaching by the pen also necessarily entails power. Thus, both creation and teaching necessarily entail power.