His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say Allah. Say, 'Have you considered what you invoke besides Allah? If Allah intended for me harm, could they remove His harm? Or if He intended for me mercy, could they withhold His mercy?' Say, 'Sufficient for me is Allah; upon Him the reliant put their trust.'" "Say, O my people, work according to your position; indeed, I am working. And you will know." "Whoever comes to him is punished and upon him descends a permanent punishment." This is the beginning of an argument against them with another proof. Its essence is that they are confronted with the Creator, the Inventor. If they say it is Allah, then they have no purpose in the idols except to say that they cause harm and benefit. So when they settle on their statement that Allah is the Creator, it is said to them: 'Have you considered these? If Allah intends a matter, do they have the power to negate it?' The answer to this is omitted because it is clear that no one can answer except that the idols have no power over any of that. And he read: "If Allah intended for me" with an open 'ya' according to the majority of the readers and the people. Al-Amash read: [If Allah intended for me] by omitting the 'ya' in connection. And Khārijah narrated without the 'ya' at all. The majority of the readers, Al-A'raj, Abu Ja'far, Al-Amash, 'Isa, and Ibn Waththab read: "removing His harm" with the addition. Abu 'Amr and Abu Bakr from 'Asim read: [removing His harm] with the nunation and the accusative of [His harm]. This is the reading of Shaibah, Al-Hasan, and 'Isa - with a difference regarding him - and 'Amr ibn 'Ubaid. This is the preferable view in what has not yet occurred. Likewise, there is a difference in "withholding His mercy." Then He commanded him, exalted is He, to declare reliance upon Allah, exalted is He, and that He is sufficient for him from everything and every supporter. Then He commanded him to threaten them in His saying: "Work according to your position," meaning: according to what you see as established for you, and according to your situation which your opinion has settled upon. The majority read: "your position" in the singular. Al-Hasan and 'Asim read it in the plural. His saying: "Work" is a term meaning a threat, and "the humiliating punishment" is the punishment of this world on the Day of Badr and others, and "the permanent punishment" is the punishment of the Hereafter.