in whose hearts is deviation,” he would say: “If they are not the Harūriyyah and the Saba’iyyah, then I do not know who they are.” The Saba’iyyah are named after ‘Abd Allāh ibn Saba’, the leader of the Rāfidah.

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The correct meaning—namely, denying that He has any equal, partner, or rival—is indicated by His words, glorified is He, “One”; His words, “And there is none comparable to Him”; His words, “Do you know of any equal to Him?”; and similar passages. Thus, the correct meanings are established by the Quran and Sunnah, and reason also points to them.

Someone may say: “Al-Ahad (the One), al-Samad (the Self-Sufficient), or another such designation means that which neither divides nor separates, or which is not composite,” and so forth. If these expressions mean that He is not susceptible to separation or division, this is true. But if they mean that He cannot be pointed to in any way, or convey something akin to what they mean by an indivisible atom—namely, that nothing of Him can be pointed to as distinct from anything else—then, according to most rational people, such a thing cannot exist; it is merely postulated in the mind. We know that wherever the Arabs use the words al-wāhid and al-ahad (one), whether in negation or affirmation, they do not intend this meaning.

Thus, in His words, exalted is He:

“And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection,”

He did not intend the meaning by which they have explained al-wāhid and al-ahad. The same applies to His words: “And if there is only one