(4) The shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—then explains how this verse serves as evidence. He says: “Everything other than Allah is a created world (*alam*), and I am one member of that world; therefore Allah is my Lord. Since He is Lord of all worlds and I am one of those worlds, He must be my Lord. No one—neither unbeliever nor Muslim—can rationally claim to have a lord other than the Lord of all worlds. This is a clear proof of Allah’s *rububiyya* (lordship). And because He is Lord of all worlds, He alone deserves worship; this nullifies the worship of anyone else. Hence the verse that follows: ‘iyyaka na‘budu wa iyyaka nasta‘in’ (You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help, al-Fatihah 5). The phrasing indicates exclusivity: placing the object *iyyaka* (You alone) before the verb *na‘budu* (we worship) confines worship solely to Him. *Na‘buduka* (we worship You) is merely an affirmation, whereas *iyyaka na‘budu* combines negation and affirmation—meaning, ‘we do not worship anyone but You.’ Valid worship requires both negation and affirmation, which is precisely the meaning of *la ilaha illa Allah* (there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah): it negates divinity for anything besides Allah and affirms it for Allah alone.