And when the questioning of denial means negation, it is as if it were said: Do not call upon anyone other than Him. So he added to it his saying: ﴿Rather, Him alone﴾ meaning: specifically ﴿you call upon﴾ meaning: at that time. And when the result of their supplication sometimes leads to a response and other times to something else, he said: ﴿He will remove﴾ meaning: Allah in this world or in the Hereafter, for nothing is obligatory upon Him, nor is anything unbecoming of Him. ﴿What you call upon﴾ meaning: to His removal ﴿if He wills﴾ meaning: that is a favor upon you as is His custom with you in times of your hardships. However, He does not will to remove it in the Hereafter; for the saying does not change with Him, even though He has the power to do as He wills. If He were to always respond to you while you do not call upon anyone other than Him, that would be sufficient evidence of your belief that there is no one capable except Him. So how is it when He responds to you in this world when you call upon Him at times and responds to you at other times? And yet, the lack of His response should not deter you from believing in His power and your continuous turning to Him in such situations, due to what is ingrained in sound minds and innate dispositions that He is the chosen doer. And to this, His saying indicates, adding to (you call upon): ﴿And you forget﴾ meaning: you leave off at those times always ﴿what you associate﴾ meaning: of your false deities, knowing that they do not avail you in anything, as is your custom always in times of hardship, returning to a state of uprightness. Should this not serve as a deterrent for you from associating partners in times of ease out of fear of returning to hardship!