is severe in punishment—when those who had been followed will disown their followers, they will all behold the punishment, and every bond between them will be severed. The followers will say, “If only we had another chance, we would disown them just as they have disowned us.” Thus does Allah show them their deeds as painful regrets for them, and they shall never leave the Fire. 1; and His saying: “On the Day of Resurrection they will renounce your association, and none can inform you like the All-Aware.” 2; and His saying: “Who is more astray than one who calls, instead of Allah, upon those who will not answer him until the Day of Resurrection, while they are heedless of their supplication? And when mankind is gathered, they will be their enemies and will deny that they were ever worshipped.” 3; and His saying—exalted is He: “The Day He gathers them all together and says to the angels, ‘Was it you these people used to worship?’ They will say, ‘Glory be to You! You are our Protector, not them. In fact, they used to worship the jinn; most of them believed in them.’” 4; and His saying: “And [remember] when Allah will say, ‘Jesus son of Mary, did you say to the people, “Take me and my mother as two gods besides Allah”?’ He will answer, ‘Glory be to You! It is not for me to say what I have no right to say.’” 5.
- Another of these methods is His—exalted be He—refutation of the polytheists for adopting intermediaries between themselves and Allah, for intercession belongs exclusively to Him: it is to be sought only from Him, and no one will intercede with Him except by His leave after He is pleased with the one for whom intercession is sought. He, exalted is He, says: “Have they taken, apart from Allah, intercessors? Say: Even if they possess no power whatsoever and understand nothing? Say: All intercession belongs to Allah alone. His is the dominion of the heavens and the earth.” 6; and His saying—exalted is He: “Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?” 7; and His saying: “How many an angel there is in the heavens whose intercession will avail nothing except after Allah has given leave to whom He wills and is pleased with.” 8.
Thus He—exalted be He—has clarified in these verses that intercession is His alone; it is to be sought only from Him, and it is granted only after He gives permission to the intercessor and is pleased with the one for whom the plea is made.
- Among these methods is that He—exalted be He—has shown that those objects of worship besides Him yield nothing