is invoked instead of Allah—whether it be an angel, a human being, or any other created thing—possesses not even an atom’s weight in His kingdom; that He has no partner in His sovereignty, for to Him alone belong the dominion and the praise, and He is powerful over all things; that He has no helper to assist Him the way a worldly king is aided by attendants and supporters; and that the intercessors in His presence do not intercede except for those He approves. In this manner He has ruled out every avenue of shirk (associating partners with Him).

Anyone who is called upon besides Him must fall into one of four possibilities. Either the being owns something, or it does not. If it does not own anything, it must either be a partner or not. If it is not a partner, it is either a helper or merely a petitioner itself in need. The first three possibilities—ownership, partnership, and assistance—