in what he has brought, and Allah accepts from no one any religion he professes unless it accords with His own. Moreover, glorified and exalted is He, He has declared Himself far above whatever the servants attribute to Him—except for that which the messengers (1) have attributed—when He said: “Glory be to Allah, far above what they ascribe (159), save the sincere servants of Allah” (Qur’an 37:159–160). More than one of the early predecessors said: they are the messengers (2).

He, glorified and exalted, also says: “Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of might, above what they ascribe (180); peace be upon the messengers (181); and praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds” (Qur’an 37:180–182). Thus He first declared Himself free of everything the creation attributes to Him, then offered peace to the messengers because the descriptions they gave Him are untouched by deficiency or flaw, and finally praised Himself for His unique possession of the attributes that merit perfect praise.

Islam was borne by the pioneering generation, followed in their footsteps by the tābiʿūn (3), and after them by those who adhered to their path. Each earlier generation commended it to those who came later, and the later emulated the former. In all of this they followed their Prophet and walked upon his way. Allah the Exalted says: “Say, ‘This is my path: I call to Allah upon clear insight, I and whoever follows me’” (Qur’an 12:108). Thus “whoever follows me,” if taken as a conjunction to the pronoun in “I call”