The benefits of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Say: ‘Will you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days and make for Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds.’”

Then Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: to the end of it. In this is evidence for the obligation of the believer declaring the disbelief of the disbelievers in Allah, due to His saying: Branching from this benefit is that it is not permissible to be accommodating with the disbelievers. While *mudarā’ah* (tactful dealing) is permissible, *mudāhanah* (false accommodation) is not. The difference between them is that *mudāhanah* is a person remaining silent about the sin of the sinner, as if he says: “You have your sin, and I have my obedience. So you do your work, and I do mine.” This is *mudāhanah* and *musāna’ah* (false pretense), which is not permissible. Allah the Exalted said: However, it is not permissible for the believer to engage in *mudāhanah*. As for *mudarā’ah*, its meaning is that a person gradually moves someone away from the sin they are in, while he is not pleased with it, but rather dislikes it and does not consider it permissible to approve of it. This is unlike the one who engages in *mudāhanah*. In reality, *mudāhanah* is most similar in our current time to what they call *majāmalah* (polite deference) or secularism. The secularists today say: “Let every person be left to their own affairs. The state is the state, and religion is religion. The state must be unified, and as for religion, each has their own religion. Do not rebuke the disbeliever or the open sinner. Let every person do what they wish.” So the important point is that this explicit verse indicates that it is obligatory for us to rebuke the disbelievers for their disbelief and not to engage in *mudāhanah* with them.
Among the benefits of this noble verse is that it is necessary to emphasize what might be denied or doubted in its aspect. He emphasized it by saying: Otherwise, it would suffice to say: “Say: You have disbelieved” or “Say: You disbelieved.” But since this is a matter that is doubted, and it is said: “These people did not disbelieve in Allah, but rather they believed in Him, because they believe that Allah exists and that Allah is the Creator of the heavens and the earth.” But if they do not follow His legislation, they are disbelievers in Him, even if they acknowledge His existence.
Among the benefits of the noble verse is the clarification of the power of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and the clarification of His wisdom in creating the heavens and the earth, where He created these great, large, and vast celestial bodies in the course of six days. As for the wisdom, its aspect is that Allah, Exalted and Majestic, was able to create them in what? In a single moment: “Be, and it is.” But He, Exalted and Majestic, linked the causes and effects and made them interact gradually until they were completed. This is from one aspect, and from another aspect, He delayed it to teach His servants to be deliberate in matters.
Among the benefits of the noble verse is that the creation of the earth was before the creation of the sky, because when he mentioned the creation of the earth in four days, he said: “Then He directed Himself to the sky.” This is like His saying, the Exalted, in Surat al-Baqarah: But this appears to contradict His saying, the Exalted: Here, he mentioned that the earth was spread out after the creation of the sky. So is the intended meaning of *dakhw* (spreading) something other than creation? Or is the posteriority here a posteriority of mention, meaning as they say: “This is an order of mention, not a chronological order.” There are two aspects here: The first aspect is that *dakhw* is not creation, but rather something else, which Allah explained in His saying: As for the second aspect, the posteriority here is a posteriority of mention, which is known among scholars of grammar as the order of mention. From this is the saying of the poet: “Indeed, he who ruled, then his father ruled, then his grandfather ruled after that” You find now that the order is contrary to the chronological order, but this is called what? An order of mention. It is possible from two aspects, but the first aspect is more likely to be said: that *dakhw* is not creation. Creation and formation is one thing, and *dakhw* is another. And the evidence is that Allah, the Exalted, said regarding *dakhw*, explaining it: Do you understand now? So there is no contradiction between the two verses, for each of them descends in a way that does not contradict the other. And know that it is necessary for a person, when he sees two verses whose apparent meaning is contradictory, not to rush to judge them as contradictory, because it is not possible for two verses to contradict each other from every aspect, as we mentioned that in the principles of exegesis. But let him be deliberate, let him reflect, and let him think. If he realizes that there is no contradiction, then that is the desired outcome. Otherwise, it is obligatory for him to ask the people of knowledge. If the matter does not become clear to him, it is obligatory for him to suspend judgment, and this becomes one of the ambiguous verses in which he must say: “We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.” And we have mentioned to you in the past that some scholars have authored works on the verses whose apparent meaning is contradictory, reconciling them. And I mentioned to you that among the best things I have seen is what the Shaykh al-Shanqiti (may Allah have mercy on him) authored.
Among the benefits of this noble verse is that the type of disbelief that occurred from these addressed people is shirk (associating partners with Allah), as indicated by His saying: . Making equals for Him has many types: either making equals for Him in His essence, such as saying that Allah has a like, as the Christians did when they said that Allah is the third of three, and as the people of tashbih (likening Allah to creation) did when they likened the attributes of Allah to the attributes of His creation; this is from shirk. Or it may be an equal in worship, where one worships him even if he does not consider him like Allah, but worships him and claims that he only worships him to bring him closer to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Or there may be equals in love, where one loves a thing as he loves Allah. The wonder is that Satan flows through the son of Adam like blood; he loves a person and attaches himself to him greatly, saying, "I love him for Allah," when the truth is that he loves him alongside Allah, not for Allah. The one who loves a person for Allah—what is the primary love? It is the love of Allah, and he loves him because he loves Allah. But the one whose heart is turned toward this beloved, who does not think of anything else, who does not sleep except in his remembrance, and who does not wake except by his remembrance, has not loved him for Allah, but has loved him alongside Allah. This is shirk, as the Exalted said: . Likewise, an equal is when a person’s heart attaches to a creation in fear and hope, not love: in fear and hope, such that he relies on it to obtain his livelihood or to ward off harm from himself. This happens often, especially after the opening of hospitals. Most people’s hearts attach to what? To the hospital. You find that if he gets sick, he says, "It’s easy, I’ll go and take a pill or two." He does not say, "O Lord, cure me," or turn to Allah. Instead, he says, "I’ll just go take a pill, or two, or three," even though the doctor he relied on and hoped in may be a disbeliever and an atheist. This is also from taking an equal for Allah. For this reason, the harm of hospitals today, despite the much benefit and good in them, and praise be to Allah, is great. People now hang their hopes and alleviate their pains with what? With hospitals. No, if a person comes and a thorn pricks him, he should go to the hospital? Pull it out with your fingernail, or pull it out with tweezers? He says, "The hospital." There is no god but Allah. When a woman has labor pains and is having a normal delivery, what does she do? The hospital. And what does the hospital say? "By Allah, this is a serious matter; a cesarean section is necessary." A cesarean section involves cutting the abdomen, and then she is left with ten scars in her abdomen if she gives birth to ten children. This abdomen cannot bear any pregnancy; if she becomes pregnant, it will burst. All of this is a type of shirk. Do not turn to the hospital except in extreme necessity. Keep your hope always attached to Allah and say: "The One who created me and brought me into existence the first time is able to remove the illness that has befallen me, is He not? And He is more able than anyone to remove it, Mighty and Majestic, without any operation, without pills, without fluids, and without needles." The important point is that taking equals is not limited to a specific thing; it occurs in many things. So beware of having an equal for Allah. Even the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Who worships this? Does a person place a dinar above him and prostrate to it and bow? No, nor a dirham, nor a carpet, nor a mat. But when his heart is attached to this thing, such that if he is given it he is pleased, and if he is not given it he is angry, he becomes its slave. We ask Allah to protect us and you from that.
Among the benefits of this noble verse is the clarification of the impossibility of an equal for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, as indicated by His saying: . The reason for this impossibility is that He is the Lord of the worlds. What kind of equal would be the Lord of the worlds? What do you say, Usamah? Answer? What is it? Where did you go?
The student: No, no, I don’t hear...

The Shaykh : You hear, but you do not comprehend, because the heart is not present, is it not? Yes, or no? Apparently... the sin that is committed is forgiven. I say: In this, in His saying: , is there evidence for what? That it is impossible for anyone to be an equal for Allah. Why? Because who can be said to be the Lord of the worlds? It is impossible. So He is the Lord, and everything else is a created being. Therefore, everything else cannot validly be an equal for Him.
Among the benefits of the noble verse is the comprehensiveness of the lordship of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for all the worlds, as indicated by His saying: .
Among its benefits is the obligation of submission to Him in terms of the Shari'ah, just as we submit to Him in terms of divine decree, because this is the implication of lordship: that you submit to this Lord in terms of the Shari'ah just as you are submissive to Him in terms of divine decree. Everyone is submissive to Allah in terms of divine decree. This prostration is what? It is the divine decree. So it is obligatory that you submit to Him in terms of the Shari'ah and humble yourself before Him, being a slave before Him just as you were a slave before Him in His decree.