194 Preface إِنَّ الَّذينَ تَدعونَ مِن دونِ اللَّهِ عِبادٌ أَمثالُكُم ۖ فَادعوهُم فَليَستَجيبوا لَكُم إِن كُنتُم صادِقينَYusuf AliVerily those whom ye call upon besides God are servants like unto you:1 Call upon them, and let them listen to your prayer, if ye are (indeed) truthful!False gods, whether idols or deified men, or ideas and superstitions, have no existence of their own, independent of God’s creation. They are God’s creatures, and like servants are subject to His authority. Deified men are not real men, but false ideas of men. They cannot help themselves: how can they help others?