He would have burned them where they stood, so they said, “No—rather we shall pay the jizya and will not engage in mutual imprecation.” The Prophet ﷺ therefore accepted the jizya from them, and it became clear that Allah had instructed him in accordance with the meaning of this verse.

This verse encapsulates the declaration la ilaha illa Allah: His words “that we worship none” express the negation, while “except Allah” express the affirmation. This is the justice upon which the heavens and the earth were founded; they stand on monotheism and justice. We associate nothing with Him in worship—neither the Messiah, whom you claim to be a lord and worship apart from Allah, nor anyone else: not the Messiah, not Muhammad ﷺ, not any of the prophets, the righteous, or the awliya’. “That we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing with Him.”

“And that none of us take one another as lords in place of Allah”—just as you have taken your rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah the Exalted: “They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah, as well as the Messiah son of Mary, while they were commanded to worship only one God.” ⦗Al-Tawbah 31⦘ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ explained that treating rabbis and monks as lords instead of Allah means obeying them when they declare lawful what Allah has forbidden and forbid what He has made lawful.