وَلَا إِلٰهَ غَيْرُهُ.
There is no deity other than Him.
وَاعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا.
Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him. (al-Nisāʾ 4:36)
The apparent difficulty: If none is worthy of worship but Allah, why may people seek ordinary help from one another?
Resolution: Exclusive worship and permissible human cooperation belong to different categories. Worship is for Allah alone; a lawful request to another person is not automatically an act of worship. Its nature must be examined.
Inference to avoid: It is unsound either to classify every lawful human request as shirk or to allow partners in worship.
Application: Asking a person for water and regarding a being as worthy of worship are not the same act.