the doer and forgiveness for him, and between treating his deed as permissible or even desirable, whether this relates to the act itself or to any of its particulars.

I am personally aware of a number of people who sought their needs from certain deceased prophets or righteous men, and their requests were granted. Yet such incidents remain within the parameters I have just outlined: they constitute neither a binding law to be followed nor a Sunnah to be emulated. The only grounds on which an act may be deemed recommended and adopted as part of the religion are the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the practice of the earliest predecessors. Anything beyond these sources is an innovation that is not to be considered commendable, even if it occasionally yields some benefit, for we know that its harms outweigh its benefits.

The prohibition or censure attached to certain disapproved supplications stems either from the very thing requested or from the manner of requesting it. The same holds true for impermissible or disliked appeals for refuge: their objectionable nature may lie in what refuge is sought from, or in the act of seeking refuge itself. Thus a person may escape one evil only to fall into something far worse.

As for a forbidden object of request, it is exemplified by someone who asks for that which harms him in this world or the next—though he may be unaware of its harm—and his request is nonetheless granted. An illustration of this is the man whom the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, once visited; finding him as frail as a fledgling, the Prophet asked, “Have you been supplicating Allah for anything?” He replied, “I used to say, ‘O Allah…’”