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wa-man ʾaḍallu mimman yadʿū min dūni llāhi man lā yastajību lahū ʾilā yawmi l-qiyāmati wa-hum ʿan duʿāʾihim ghāfilūna
Who is more astray than him who invokes besides Allah such [entities] as would not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and who are oblivious of their invocation?
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-Ahqaf - Verses 5-6
5. And he who is more astray than one who invokes [ones] besides Allah who will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection and who are unaware of their being invoked?
6. And when mankind are gathered, they will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.
The worst error is deviation from true recognition and one who turns away from the Omnipotent, Omniscient, All-Hearing, and All-Seeing God and turns to false deities will be entangled with such error, since none but God Almighty may embark upon doing anything. Polytheistic and mundane ties shall turn into animosity on the Resurrection Day. The blessed Verse is a reproach to idolaters treading the path of error and astrayness to the extreme since they are deeply sunk in ignorance to the extent that they invoke the succor of false deities and objects of worship:
“other than Allah”
including angels, jinn, and prophets. The Verse is a reference to the fact that the only true object of worship and the Provider of Needs (qadhi al-hajat) is God. According to the second Verse, whatever has been regarded as their object of worship and support turn into their enemies on the Day of Resurrection. At the end, attention may be paid to the differences between God and false deities in the life of mankind:
The Role of God in the Life of Mankind
“He is the Creator” 11 .
“He is the Lord all that exists” 12 .
“Allah is full of kindness toward mankind” 13 .
“He is the All-Hearer of invocation” 14 .
“He responds to the distressed” 15 .
“He will surely guide them to His Paths” 16 .
“He provides the pious with support” 17 .
“He guides them unto growth” 18 .
“The hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah” 19 .
“He has taught [man] by the pen” 20 .
“If man thanks, He will give him more [of His Blessings]” 21 .
“And when I am ill, it is He who cures me” 22 .
“And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Recompense” 23 .
The Role of Deities Other Than God in the Life of Mankind
They have no power over creation “They cannot create [even] a fly” 24 .
“They are unaware of their invocations to them” 25 .
“They do not hear his invocation” 26 .
“They have no power to remove the adversity from you” 27 .
“They are their enemies.”
“They are unable to ward off adversity from you” 28 .
“They harm them and profit them not” 29 .
To sum it up, mention may be made of Yusuf’s (Joseph) words to his fellow inmates:
Footnotes