He, exalted is He, does not forgive the ascribing of partners to Him, but He forgives whatever is less than that for whomever He wills. Consequently, the people most favored with the forgiveness—whether it comes through intercession or without it—are those whose devotion to Him is the purest, not those tainted by shirk, who place their hopes in other than Allah, petition other than Allah, or worship other than Allah. Such are the idolaters who have taken intercessors besides Him—be they angels, prophets, the righteous, or anyone presumed to be pious—whom they call upon and from whom they seek relief, whether in their absence or at their graves.

It is common for these polytheists to see a likeness of the very figure they invoke; in reality it is a devil who has assumed that form in order to mislead the supplicant. Devils used to speak to people from within the idols, and the same occurs frequently in lands steeped in idolatry—China, the Turkic regions, India, the West, the South, and the North. At times they imagine a deceased person has returned, spoken to them about certain matters, and fulfilled their needs, so they think he has come back to life, when in truth it is only a devil appearing in his likeness.

Some among them even offer sacrifices to the devil, presenting him with carrion or meat over which the name of Allah has not been pronounced. They sing chants suited to him and bring forth one of their own “shaykhs” who is compatible with that devil. They give him blood to drink, commit lewd acts with him, or have him utter the blasphemy the devil chooses. Then the devil speaks—either directly or through the tongue of that shaykh—about whatever they request. The shaykh may rise into the air before their eyes; at times the devil carries one of these shaykhs, who lives in a demonic state, and flies with him to another place, or makes him walk on water. Yet such a shaykh must be disobedient to Allah and His Messenger, and the more depraved and unbelieving he is, the closer he is to the devils.