Say, "Shall we invoke, besides Allah, that which cannot benefit us or harm us? And shall we return on our heels after Allah has guided us to Islam, like one whom the devils have enticed, like one who has been taken away by the strong ones of the jinn and the ghilān in the vast land, bewildered, lost, and straying from the path, not knowing what to do? For him, there are companions who call him to guidance, to lead him to the even path. Or the even path is called guidance. They say to him, 'Come to us,' while he has strayed in the vast land, following the jinn, not answering them nor coming to them. This is based on what the Arabs claim and believe: that the jinn entice a person, and the ghilān take control of him, as in the saying, 'the one whom the devil has seized with madness.' So the one who is lost from the path of Islam, following the footsteps of the devil, while the Muslims call him to it, does not pay attention to them. Say, 'Indeed, the guidance of Allah, which is Islam, is the guidance alone, and beyond it is misguidance and error. And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers.' If you say: What is the position of the 'kaf' in the saying, 'like one whom the devils have enticed'? I say: It is in the accusative case as a description of the pronoun in 'we return on our heels,' meaning: we are like those whom the devils have enticed. If you say: What is the meaning of 'enticed'? I say: It is a form of seeking, from 'to be drawn in' on the earth if one goes in it, as if its meaning is: it sought his inclination and was eager for it. If you say: What is the position of 'we were commanded'? I say: It is in the accusative case, in conjunction with the position of the saying, 'Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the guidance,' as if it were said: Say this saying and say, 'We were commanded to submit.' If you say: What is the meaning of the 'lam' in 'to submit'? I say: It is for the purpose of explanation for the command, meaning: we were commanded and told to submit so that we may submit. If you say: If this is related to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, how was it said to the Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, 'Shall we invoke besides Allah...'? Ahmad said: It is based on the premise that the command is the will, or one of its necessary implications is the will of what is commanded. This grammatical interpretation is based on this belief. As for the people of the Sunnah, as you know, the command for them is different from the will and does not imply it. Their statement regarding this 'lam' is like their statement, 'And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me,' which negates its being for the purpose of explanation. The reasoning for this is that when the clear verses were made evident to them and the excuses were removed from them, and they were enabled to embrace Islam and worship in obedience to the command, they were made like those for whom that was intended, to encourage them to comply and to cut off their excuses when they were acted upon as intended. What is the state of one who desires something if he is capable of obtaining it, to remove excuses and lift obstacles? Thus, He did with the obligated ones, even if obedience was not intended from all of them. As for when the 'lam' is the one that accompanies the source, as al-Zajjāj says: its meaning is the command for Islam. Likewise, he says in the saying of Allah, 'Allah intends to make clear to you,' the intention for clarification is the 'lam' that accompanies the object when it precedes, as in your saying: 'I struck for Zayd.' So in this case, it does not need interpretation. It has been said that it means 'that,' as if it were said: 'And we were commanded to submit,' said this speaker. And 'ki' and the 'lam' of 'ki' in 'I commanded' and 'I intended' specifically, meaning 'that,' not in its usual sense of explanation. The purpose of its inclusion is to convey the future in a more certain and effective way, as these two meanings—the command and the will—are only related to the future. And the three—'lam,' 'ki,' and 'an'—are combined in the saying: 'I intended so that he may fly...'

'The House' and this aspect is also sound in meaning from the flaw that al-Zamakhshari believes, and it preserves the creed. We have found the way to that, by the grace of Allah, determined, and Allah is the Grantor of success. So how was it said to the Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, 'Say, shall we call?' I said: due to the unity that was between the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and the believers, especially between him and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him.