and they invoke him alongside Allah; this is sheer excess—may Allah protect us—just as the Christians went to extremes regarding the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, when they claimed that he is the son of God, or God Himself, or one of a trinity. Hence the phrase “His chosen servant” is a rebuttal of such exaggeration, for he is a servant, and everyone in the heavens and on earth is a servant of Allah. The Exalted says, “There is none in the heavens and the earth but that he comes to the All-Merciful as a servant” (Maryam 19:93).

The angels are servants, as He says: “Rather, they are honored servants; they do not precede Him in speech and they act only on His command” (al-Anbiya 21:26–27). The prophets and messengers are also servants. Concerning Noah, He says, “Indeed, he was a grateful servant” (al-Isra 17:3); concerning him again: “But they denied Our servant” (al-Qamar 54:9); about David: “And remember Our servant David, the possessor of strength; indeed he was ever turning back” (Sad 38:17); about Solomon: “What an excellent servant! Indeed he was ever turning back” (Sad 38:30); about Job: “And remember Our servant Job” (Sad 38:41); and about Jesus: “He is no more than a servant whom We favored and made an example for the Children of Israel” (al-Zukhruf 43:59).

If the prophets, messengers, and angels—who are the noblest of creation—are servants of Allah, then others such as saints and righteous people are even more so.

Foremost among them is Muhammad ﷺ, the last of the prophets. Allah also called him a servant in His words, “And if you are in doubt concerning what We have sent down upon Our servant” (al-Baqarah 2:23), meaning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; and likewise, “Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion to His servant” (al-Furqan 25:1).