42إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعلَمُ ما يَدعونَ مِن دونِهِ مِن شَيءٍ ۚ وَهُوَ العَزيزُ الحَكيمُMuhammad AsadVerily, God knows whatever it is that men invoke instead of Him1 for He alone is almighty, truly wise.Lit., "whatever thing they invoke instead of Him": i.e., He knows the nothingness of those false objects of worship (Zamakhshari), irrespective of whether they be imaginary deities, or deified saints, or forces of nature, or even false concepts or ideas; but He also knows the weakness of the human heart and mind and, hence, the hidden motivation of all such irrational worship.