Do the atheist, the Buddhist, and others like them acknowledge the oneness of lordship?

The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, you mentioned that all the people of the world believe in the oneness of lordship, but they disbelieve in the oneness of worship. Do the atheist, the Buddhist, and others who are not from the People of the Book believe in the oneness of lordship? And in the case of our calling them to the faith, do we start with them with the oneness of lordship or with the oneness of worship?

The Shaykh:
Even though they deny the oneness of lordship with their tongues, they acknowledge it in the depths of their souls.
They deny it outwardly out of stubbornness and defiance, but inwardly they acknowledge it by necessity; otherwise, they would not be rational. For they know that this world and these creatures must have a Creator, they must have a Maker. They did not come into existence in vain, nor were they created for nothing, nor did they create themselves. They know this, and every rational person knows this. However, one may deny this outwardly out of stubbornness, or to maintain his status or position, preferring the life of this world over the Hereafter. Otherwise, there is no rational person in the world who denies Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), who denies the Creator.

The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, does your calling to them involve mentioning the oneness of lordship as evidence for the oneness of worship, as in the Noble Qur'an, where verses establishing lordship are presented to argue for the obligation of singling out Allah for worship and making worship sincere for Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?