just as the purpose of commands and prohibitions is obedience to Him. Every community must have faith in Allah and the Last Day and perform righteous deeds, as the Most High says:

“Indeed, those who believed, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians—whoever believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteous deeds—will have their reward with their Lord. No fear will be upon them, nor will they grieve.”

The fourth argument is as follows:

The negation of any likeness to Him and of begetting, which he mentioned, also appears outside this surah. Thus, this meaning is not unique to it.

The fifth argument is as follows:

Granted that it declares His freedom from imperfection, as Allah has stated, knowledge of Allah does not consist in knowing attributes of negation. Rather, its foundation is the attributes affirmed of Him; negation is subordinate and serves to complete that affirmation. As we have indicated, every declaration of the Lord’s freedom from imperfection by which He is praised includes an affirmation. Thus, saying “Glory be to Allah” both declares the Lord free from imperfection and extols His greatness: it declares Him free from faults and deficiencies and magnifies Him, glorified and exalted is He. This has been discussed at length elsewhere.

As for the third view—that what is meant is that whoever acts upon its contents is like someone who recites one-third of the Quran without acting upon its contents—this too is weak. His denial of equivalence rests on the view of those who measure the amount of reward by the number of letters. That view is false, as has been explained in its proper place. For if, by acting upon it, he means