place in the Quran and explained the distinction between Himself and His creation. A created being may intercede with another without the latter’s permission, and the latter accepts the intercession out of desire, fear, love, or something similar. Thus, the intercessor becomes a partner of the one whose favour is sought.

Such intercession has no place with Allah. He, Most High, says:

“Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?”

And He, Most High, says:

“They intercede only for those with whom He is pleased.”

These people make pilgrimages to their graves and invoke them. They may also prostrate themselves before them, make vows to them, and direct other forms of worship to them. These people, too, are polytheists. Most polytheists combine rejection of some of what the messengers brought with associating partners with Allah. They thus have some share of both associating partners with the Creator and rejecting His messengers. Some combine associating partners with Allah with denial: they deny the Creator or some of the names and attributes that are His due.

The Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Resurrection belong to neither group. Rather, they affirm that the messengers are intermediaries in conveying Allah’s message; they believe in them and love them, but do not make pilgrimages to their graves or take their graves as places of worship. This is the true fulfilment of “the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

Making them and their message known is part of believing in them. Concealing their graves, so that people are not led astray by them, is part of perfecting belief in Allah’s oneness and worshipping Him alone. The Companions and the community of Muhammad have upheld this.