And when He, the Most High, clarified, confirming His saying: ﴿And how many a sign in the heavens and the earth do they pass by while they are, therefrom, turning away﴾ [Yusuf: 105], what He has of the signs [that follow] the attributes of perfection, among which is being free from what is not befitting of majesty and that He is severe in retribution, He began to clarify their misguidance in their associating partners, which is referred to in His saying: ﴿And most of them do not believe in Allah except while they associate others with Him﴾ [Yusuf: 106]. [This is] because it is a reason for the conclusion of what preceded it, that there is no equal to Him. (p-301) He said: ﴿To Him﴾ meaning Allah, glorified is He, ﴿is the call of truth﴾. If anyone calls upon Him, He hears him and responds to him - if He wills - with what He wills. And if He calls someone to a matter, between the truth and what removes doubt, or a call for a judgment, He responds to the humble and answers: ﴿And those whom they invoke﴾ meaning the disbelievers, and between the lowliness of their rank with His saying: ﴿besides Him﴾ meaning Allah, ﴿they do not respond﴾ meaning they do not provide the response 'for them' meaning the disbelievers ﴿with anything﴾. And the response is: following the caller in what he called for with agreement of his will. ﴿Except like one who stretches﴾ meaning except a response like the response of water to one who stretches out ﴿his hands﴾, the dual of hand, and it is the place of grasping with the hand, and its origin is from his hand - when he gathers its edges ﴿to the water so that it may reach﴾ meaning the water 'to his mouth' without his hands reaching the water - as indicated by the preposition 'to'. So the water does not respond to his call in reaching it ﴿And what is it﴾ meaning the water ﴿that reaches him﴾ meaning in it. For the disbelievers, 'by that the call of falsehood is like the water, which is inanimate and does not perceive the call of this one, so it does not respond to him. Their idols are likewise.

And when their calling is limited to falsehood, He said in a place: ﴿And what is the call of the disbelievers﴾ (p-302) meaning those who conceal what the lights of their minds indicate with their deities or others ﴿except in error﴾ because he finds no benefit for them. As for their deities, they do not harm or benefit, and as for Allah, He does not respond to them for their neglect of the foundation.