the object of worship itself. His not worshipping what they worship does not mean that he disavows it and is hostile to it, such that an exception would be needed. Rather, he refrains from worshipping what they worship.

This becomes clear from the fourth point, namely the statement:

“Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.”

This denies that they worship the One he worships. Thus, when they worship Allah while associating partners with Him, they are not worshipping the One he worships. Likewise, when he worships Him, sincerely devoting his religion to Him alone, he is not worshipping the object of their worship.

The fifth point:

If they were to identify Allah with something that is not Allah, intending to worship Allah while believing that this is Allah—as with those who worshipped the calf, those who worshipped the Messiah, those who worship the Dajjāl, those who worship whatever they worship of their worldly interests and desires, and those of this community who engage in such worship—then, in their own minds, they would be worshipping only Allah. Yet this object of their worship is not Allah. Thus, when he says:

“I do not worship what you worship,”

he disavows these objects of worship, even though the worshippers intend to worship Allah.

The sixth point:

If they attribute to Allah things of which He is entirely free, such as a consort, a child or a partner, or describe Him as poor, miserly or anything of the kind, and worship Him as thus described, then he disavows their object of worship, for this is not Allah