Indeed (1), the favor Allah bestows upon a servant whom He protects from this most grievous trial and greatest calamity is truly immense. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Allah the Exalted said: “Alif, Lām, Mīm, Ṣād (1). A Book has been sent down to you—let there be no anxiety in your breast because of it—so that you may warn thereby, and as a reminder for the believers (2). Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord and do not follow, apart from Him, any protectors. How seldom you take heed! (3)” (2).

Thus the Almighty commanded that what was revealed to His Messenger be followed, and He forbade following anyone else. In reality there are only two choices: to follow the revelation or to follow patrons besides Him; He has placed no middle course between the two. Consequently, everyone who does not (3) follow the revelation has in fact (4) followed falsehood and taken allies other than Allah. Praise be to Allah, this is plain and undisputed.

He, Most High, also said: “On that Day the wrongdoer will bite his hands and say, ‘If only I had taken a path alongside the Messenger! (27) Woe to me! Would that I had never taken So-and-so as an intimate friend! (28) He led me away from the Reminder after it had come to me, and Satan has always deserted mankind.’ (29)” (5).

Therefore, anyone who takes an intimate friend (6) other than the Messenger—abandoning the Messenger’s guidance for that person’s statements and opinions—will inevitably utter these very words. For this reason, glorified is He