asking Allah to make him superior to Allah’s allies, even superior to Abū Bakr and ʿUmar; or asking Allah to make him knowledgeable about all things or capable of all things; or to remove every veil that prevents him from beholding the unseen, and similar requests. Another example is someone who supplicates to Him believing that He needs His servants and that they can harm or benefit Him. He therefore asks Him to perform a particular act, saying that if He does not do it, He will suffer harm from His creation. This and similar things constitute ignorance of Allah and overstepping the bounds in supplication, even if some shaykhs have fallen into such things.

Another example is saying, “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” imagining that Allah, like kings, may sometimes act willingly and sometimes under compulsion, and therefore saying, “Forgive me if You will.”

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade this, saying, “Let no one say