of any critic. Such is the bounty of Allah; He bestows it upon whom He wills, and Allah is all-encompassing, all-knowing.

“Your only guardian is Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe—those who establish the prayer and give the zakat while bowing in humble devotion. Whoever allies himself with Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, then surely the party of Allah will be victorious.”

He, exalted is He, also said:

“At that moment, true authority belongs to Allah, the Real; He is the best in reward and the best in outcome.”

He then mentioned the allies of Satan, saying:

“When you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan. He has no authority over those who believe and who place their trust in their Lord; his authority is only over those who take him as a patron and who, because of him, commit idolatry.”

And He said:

“Those who believe fight in the path of Allah, whereas those who disbelieve fight in the path of false gods. So fight the allies of Satan—indeed, Satan’s scheming is ever feeble.”

He, exalted, also said:

“When We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam,’ they all prostrated except Iblis. He was one of the jinn and thus defied the command of his Lord. Will you, then, take him and his offspring as allies instead of Me while they are enemies to you? What a wretched substitute for the wrongdoers!”

And He said:

“Whoever takes Satan as a patron instead of Allah has incurred a manifest loss.”