23 Preface أَأَتَّخِذُ مِن دونِهِ آلِهَةً إِن يُرِدنِ الرَّحمٰنُ بِضُرٍّ لا تُغنِ عَنّي شَفاعَتُهُم شَيئًا وَلا يُنقِذونِYusuf Ali“Shall I take (other) gods besides Him? If (God) Most Gracious should intend some adversity for me,1 of no use whatever will be their intercession for me, nor can they deliver me.The next plea is that for exclusive service to God. 'Suppose it were proper to worship other gods-Mammon, Self, or imaginary deities set up as idols-yet of what benefit would that be? All power is in God. In His universal Plan, He may think fit to give me some sorrow or punishment: would these subordinate deities be able to help me or intercede for me with Him? Not at all. What use would they be? In fact I should obviously be going as tray-wandering from the true Path.'