And the Exalted said (ʿImrān, 83): "So is it other than the religion of Allāh they desire, while to Him have submitted [all] those within the heavens and earth, willingly or unwillingly?" He mentioned the submission of all creatures willingly and unwillingly because all creations are devoted to Him with general devotion, whether the one who acknowledges it admits it or denies it, and they are subservient to Him, managed by Him, thus they are submitted to Him willingly and unwillingly. None of the creatures can escape what He wills, decrees, and ordains, and there is no power or strength except through Him. He is the Lord of the worlds and their sovereign, directing them as He wills, and He is their Creator, Fashioner, and Shaper. Everything besides Him is created, made, originated, needy, dependent, and subdued. He, glorified be He, is the One, the Subduer, the Creator, the Fashioner, the Shaper. And even though He has created what He created through causes, He is the Creator of the cause and the one who determines it, and this is in need of Him just as this is. There is no cause among the creatures that is independent in doing good or repelling harm, but everything that is a cause is in need of another cause to assist it and to what repels from it the opposing force that counters and resists it. He, glorified be He, alone is free from need of everything besides Him; He has no partner to assist Him, nor an opponent to challenge and oppose Him. The Exalted said (al-Zumar, 38): "Say, 'Have you considered what you invoke besides Allāh? If Allāh intended me harm, are they removers of His harm, or if He intended me mercy, are they withholders of His mercy?' Say, 'Sufficient for me is Allāh; upon Him rely the reliant.'" And the Exalted said (al-Anʿām, 17):