before those from whom they imagine their victory, provision, and guidance to come—kings, the wealthy, and shaykhs.

A third possibility is that a person may seek His help even while worshipping someone else, like many who lay claim to special states and to hidden or manifest power—people of spiritual unveiling and influence, the ahl al-kashf. They call upon Him, rely on Him, petition Him, and seek refuge in Him, yet the ends they pursue are other than what Allah and His Messenger have commanded and do not involve following the religion and Sacred Law with which Allah sent His Messenger.

The fourth category consists of those who worship none but Him and seek help from none but Him. This fourfold division will be mentioned again later: sometimes arranged in terms of worship and reliance, and sometimes in terms of the one whose help is sought. Here the classification is by the object of worship and the source of aid, to show that every servant must have a deity on whom he relies. Later the discussion will focus on worshipping Allah and seeking His help, and in that respect people likewise fall into four groups.