Allah, which report the polytheists’ acknowledgment that Allah exists and that He is the Creator, Provider and Disposer of affairs; some of these have already been cited. It is also refuted by the Companions’ and Successors’ explanation of this verse, given above.

What led the writer to give this verse such an invalid interpretation was his belief that the polytheists did not acknowledge Allah’s existence at all. He explicitly states this in several places in his book, including his words on p. 33: “For they [i.e., the polytheists] did not acknowledge the Creator’s existence, contrary to those who claim that they affirmed His oneness in His Lordship …”

Such words alone suffice to show how deeply the man is sunk in blindness and ignorance. The Noble Book is filled with passages showing that the polytheists acknowledged and believed in Allah’s Lordship—that He is the Creator, Provider and Disposer of affairs—let alone His existence. Yet the writer maintains this false assertion.

Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on him—reported from Ibn ʿAbbās—may Allah be pleased with them both—concerning the explanation of the words of the Most High:

“All praise is due to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light. Yet those who disbelieve equate others with their Lord.” 1

He said: “It means: ‘They set stones and idols from among My creation as equals to Me, after having acknowledged My favors and My Lordship.’”2.

Another example of the polytheists’ acknowledgment of Allah’s Lordship, besides those already mentioned, is what Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā says in his celebrated Muʿallaqah ode:

Do not conceal from Allah what lies within your souls,
Hoping to hide it—for whatever is concealed, Allah knows.
Recompense may be deferred, with a record kept in a book
For a day of reckoning—or punishment swiftly exacted.