141 - And that is because Abū Kurayb narrated to us, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd narrated to us, saying: Bishr ibn ʿUmāra narrated to us, saying: Abū Rawq narrated to us, from al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās, who said: "Allah" is the Possessor of Godhood and Worshipworthiness over all His creation. (1)

If a questioner says to us: Is there for that a root in "faʿala yafʿalu" from which the construction of this name was derived?

It is said: As for hearing it directly from the Arabs, no, but rather by inference.

If he says: And what indicates that divinity is worship, and that the deity is the worshipped one, and that it has a root in "faʿala yafʿalu"?

It is said: There is no contention among the Arabs in ruling the statement of a speaker (2)—describing a man with worship and seeking that which is with Allah, majestic be His mention: "So-and-so took to devotion"—to be correct, nor is there any disagreement. And of that is the saying of Ruʾba ibn al-ʿAjjāj:

For Allah is the merit of the praising young women, who glorified Allah and uttered the istirjāʿ at my devotion,

meaning: at my worship and my seeking Allah through my deed.

And there is no doubt that "taʾalluh" is the form tafaʿʿul from "alaha yaʾlahu", and that the meaning of "alaha"—when spoken—is: he worshipped Allah. And there has come from it a verbal noun indicating that the Arabs spoke from it "faʿala yafʿalu" without addition.

142 - And that is what Sufyān ibn Wakīʿ narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to us, from Nāfiʿ ibn ʿUmar, from ʿAmr ibn Dīnār, from Ibn ʿAbbās: That he recited: {and leave you and your worship} [Sūrat al-Aʿrāf: 127], saying: your worship; and it is said: indeed he used to be worshipped and did not worship.