their Lord, all of them, and their Sovereign. They do not go beyond His will, His power, and His perfect words, which no righteous or wicked person can surpass; whatever He wills happens, even if they do not will it. And whatever they will, if He does not will it, does not happen, as He, the Exalted, said (Āl ʿImrān, 83): "Do they seek a religion other than Allāh's, while to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned." For He, glorified be He, is the Lord of the worlds, their Creator, their Provider, the One who gives them life and causes them to die, the Turner of their hearts, and the Director of their affairs. They have no Lord other than Him, no Sovereign besides Him, and no Creator except Him, whether they acknowledge it or deny it, whether they know it or are ignorant of it. However, the people of faith among them recognize this and believe in it, unlike those who are ignorant of it or deny it arrogantly, refusing to acknowledge or submit to their Lord, despite knowing that Allāh is their Lord and Creator. Thus, knowledge of the truth, when accompanied by arrogance in accepting it and denial of it, becomes a punishment for its possessor, as He, the Exalted, said (al-Naml, 14): "And they rejected them, while their souls were convinced thereof, out of injustice and haughtiness. So see how was the end of the corrupters." And He, the Exalted, said (al-Baqarah, 146): "Those to whom We have given the Book recognize it as they recognize their own sons. But indeed, a party of them conceal the truth while they know [it]." And He, the Exalted, said (al-Anʿām, 33): "We know that it grieves you what they say. Indeed, they do not deny you, but the wrongdoers reject the signs of Allāh."