The Fountain of God’s Unity — Page 8
others. So, whoever befriends Satan—that is, commits shirk, since that is his [weapon of] at- tack—they will be counted among those who are in great loss and ruin. Furthermore, God Almighty says that the promises of Satan are just a heap of deceptions. For those who have reached this stage and commit shirk, God Al- mighty has decreed that they will not be for- given, as they are obedient to Satan and will never prosper. THE ONE WHO COMMITS SHIRK WILL NEVER SUCCEED The aforementioned two matters are such that a polytheists can challenge us and say 1 In pre-Islamic days, it was customary to mark or mutilate certain animals and dedicate them to specific gods. For instance, animals were sometimes branded or had parts of their ears cut off as a sign that they were reserved for gods. These marked animals, known as Bahirah or Sa'ibah, were considered sacred and could not be used for ordinary purposes. [Publishers] -8-