Ali ibn Abi Talha, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding His saying: "Say, 'Shall we call upon, instead of Allah, that which neither benefits us nor harms us?'" He said: This is a parable that Allah struck for the idols and for the callers who call unto Allah, like the parable of a man who strayed from the road, lost and bewildered, when a caller called out to him: "O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, come to the road!" and he has companions calling to him: "O so-and-so, come to the road!" If he follows the first caller, he will take him away until he casts him into destruction; but if he answers the one who calls to guidance, he is guided to the road. This caller that calls in the wilderness is one of the ghuls (demons). He says: The likeness of one who worships these idols besides Allah is that he sees himself as being upon something until death comes to him, and he encounters destruction and regret.

7474 - Ahmad ibn 'Uthman ibn Hakim informed us, Ahmad ibn Mufaddal narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi regarding His saying: "who has companions calling him to guidance, 'Come to us'": [This is] Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who calls to the road, and the road is Islam.

His saying: "Say, 'Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance'" the verse.

7475 - Muhammad ibn Sa'd informed me in what he wrote to me, my father narrated to me, my paternal uncle narrated to me, my father narrated to me, from 'Atiyya, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding His saying: "who has companions calling him to guidance, 'Come to us.' Say, 'Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance, and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.'" He said: He is the one who does not respond to the guidance of Allah, and he is a man who obeyed Satan and acted in the land with disobedience, deviated from the truth, and went astray from it, while he has companions calling him to guidance, and they claim that what they order him to do is the guidance of Allah. He says that to their allies among the humans, [and] he says: Say, "Indeed, the guidance is the guidance of Allah," and misguidance is what the jinn call to.

7476 - Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us, al-'Abbas ibn al-Walid informed us, Yazid narrated to us, Sa'id narrated to us, from Qatada regarding His saying: "Say, 'Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance, and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.'" A dispute which Allah the Almighty taught to Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his companions; they dispute with it against the people of misguidance.

His saying, the Exalted: "And that you establish prayer."

7477 - 'Isam ibn Rawwad narrated to us, Adam narrated to us, Mubarak ibn Fadala narrated to us, from al-Hasan regarding His saying: "And that you establish prayer," he said: It is an obligatory duty, and deeds are of no benefit except by it.