(p-163) And when he presented these proofs in refutation of the misguidance regarding the stars and the sun, which is clearer than the sun, he turned to inform that they did not return to him but rather argued with him. He said: ﴿And his people argued with him﴾, claiming that they would not cease from worshipping them because they found their forefathers doing the same. They said that if he did not retract his words about them, he would be struck by some calamities. This was among the greatest consolation for this noble Arab Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him.

And when it was known that their argument after these clear proofs was in the utmost degree of fallacy - it sank to the lowest depths - he purified the station from mentioning it, indicating that it was such that it did not deserve to be mentioned. He clarified his response to what contained great benefits by saying: ﴿He said﴾, meaning: by saying, rebuking them: ﴿Do you argue with me﴾? He explicitly mentioned the name of the greatest Lord in his saying: ﴿About Allah﴾, meaning: anything that pertains to Him who possesses the attributes of perfection, especially the Oneness. ﴿And indeed﴾, meaning: while He has ﴿guided me﴾, meaning: He has directed me with definitive evidence to know all that is affirmed for Him and negated from Him, meaning: because He is capable. He clarified that He, glorified and exalted is He, has done good to him, so he hopes for Him for such goodness and fears Him from the consequences of disobedience; because whoever hopes for His goodness fears His harm. Whoever has in His hand the benefit and harm, guidance and misguidance, is so evident that there is no argument directed towards him. (p-164) He followed this by clarifying that their deities are devoid of that which can direct the aspirations towards them. He said, adding to what you can deduce: So I hope for Him and fear Him; because He is capable: ﴿And I do not fear what you associate with Him﴾, nor do I hope for guidance or misguidance or anything else from them because they are powerless. He established for Allah the ability with guidance; because it is more noble, and he dismissed misguidance due to its indication and the indication of what was negated regarding the associates with Him. He affirmed for their idols the incapacity by negating the fear which necessitates the negation of the ability to harm. This indicates that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is worthy of being feared. All of this is a hint to them that the rational person should not oppose except one who is safe from his harm. They, in their opposition to Allah, are in the utmost danger; no rational person would commit such an act, and the verse is from the interlacing.

And when he negated from himself the fear of their deities forever in the present and the future, and it was clear in the true religion that faith is not valid except with the acknowledgment of the hidden consequences upon the servants and the affirmation of the knowledge of them for Allah, submitting the keys of the unseen to Him, and confining them to Him; he said, excluding from the reason for the negation, which is that they cannot do anything: ﴿Except that my Lord wills﴾, the One who does good to me in times of hardship as He does good in times of benefit ﴿Anything﴾, meaning: from their being empowered by themselves or by following them; because He is capable of what He wills. If He wills, He can make the inanimate speak and empower it, and make the eloquent speaker mute and incapacitate him. So I truly do not fear anything other than Him.

And when this was in the form of a conditional statement, and the conditional statement and what resembles it is such that it should not be issued except from one who is hesitant, it becomes a place of hope for the adversary in it. He clarified it by what removed this illusion, saying: ﴿My Lord has encompassed all things in knowledge﴾. That is: He has encompassed all things in ability. So when He intends to empower the incapable, He removes from him every obstacle to ability and affirms for him every requirement for it. And that is the fruit of the comprehensiveness of knowledge - as its proof will come - if Allah, glorified and exalted is He, wills - in Surah (Ta-Ha). The intended meaning is that I did not leave certainty due to doubt in me, but rather I left it due to my lack of knowledge of the outcomes, indicating that that rank is not suitable except for Allah, whose knowledge encompasses all things. And the clearest evidence for this is His following it up with His denial of them for not conveying the reminder by saying: 'Will you not remember?' indicating that there occurs from you a remembrance, so you distinguish between truth and falsehood by remembering your outcome from yourselves, that whoever is absent from his Lord is ruined or nearly so, and that these inanimate objects do not benefit or harm, and that they are your creation.