His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "He is the Living; there is no deity except Him. So call upon Him, making religion sincere for Him. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds." "Say, 'Indeed, I have been forbidden to worship those whom you call upon besides Allah, when there has come to me the clear proofs from my Lord, and I have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.'" "He is the One who created you from dust, then from a sperm drop, then from a clinging clot. Then He brings you out as a child, then you reach your maturity, then you become old men. And among you is he who is taken away before [that]. And so that you reach an appointed term, and perhaps you will understand."

When the verses mentioned the attributes of Allah, the Most High, which clarify the invalidity of the state of the idols, it was most evident that the idols are dead and lifeless, and that He, exalted and majestic is He, is the Living, the Sustainer. The issuance of the command is from Him, the creation of all things, the management of all affairs, and His knowledge of everything are conclusive evidence that He is Living; there is no deity except Him.

And His saying: "So call upon Him, making religion sincere for Him. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds" is a connected statement, the implication of which is: call upon Him sincerely with praise. With these words, Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Whoever says, 'There is no deity except Allah,' let him say its effect: 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.' And Sa'id ibn Jubair said something similar, then he recited this verse.

Then Allah, the Most High, commanded His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, to proclaim that he was forbidden to worship the idols that the disbelievers worshipped besides Allah, glorified and exalted is He. The prohibition occurred when the revelation and guidance came to him from his Lord, and he was commanded to submit, which is faith and actions. And His saying, exalted is He: "to the Lord of the worlds" means that he should submit to the Lord of the worlds and humble himself to Him in obedience.

Then He clarified the matter of monotheism and divinity by reflecting on the creation of Adam and the gradual creation of him. He began the creation of Adam, peace be upon him, from dust, from clay molded, and He made mankind from dust as it was derived from the created from dust. And His saying: "from a sperm drop" refers to the reproduction from Adam and those after him, and "the sperm drop" is the water from which a person is created, and "the clinging clot" is the blood that comes from the sperm drop. And "the child" here is a general term, and "reaching maturity" has been differed upon; it was said: thirty, and it was said: thirty-six, and it was said: forty, and it was said: forty-six, and it was said: twenty, and it was said: eighteen, and it was said: fifteen. And these last opinions are weak regarding maturity.

And His saying, exalted is He: "And among you is he who is taken away before [that]" is a phrase that recurs in all the mentioned categories. For among people are those who die before they come out as children, and others before maturity, and others before old age. And His saying, exalted is He: "And so that you reach an appointed term" means: all these categories are created and facilitated for each one of them to reach an appointed term that they do not exceed or surpass. And let it be a lesson, and perhaps you, O mankind, will understand the truths when you reflect on this and contemplate the wisdom of Allah.