or He wards off an equivalent evil from him. They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, then we shall supplicate more.’ He replied, ‘Allah has still more to give.’”

As for seeking to draw near to Allah through the prophets in the sense of asking Him by them—which Abū Hanīfa, his companions and others held to be impermissible—nothing in the known teachings of Mālik’s school contradicts that position, let alone provides a basis for treating this as a matter of insulting the Prophet. Whoever attributes to Mālik’s school permission to seek to draw near to Allah through the Prophet by adjuring Allah by him or asking Allah by him has no transmitted statement from Mālik or his companions to support this, much less a statement from Mālik that “This is an insult to the Messenger or a disparagement of him.”

Rather, what is known of Mālik is that he disliked a supplicant saying, “O my Master, my Master,” and said: “Say as the prophets said: ‘O my Lord, O my Lord, O Generous One.’” He also disliked saying, “O Compassionate One, O Bestower of Favours,” as this is not transmitted from him.

If Mālik disliked such supplications because he did not consider them prescribed, how could he consider it permissible to ask Allah by a created being, whether a prophet or anyone else? He knew that when the Companions suffered drought in the Year of Ashes, they did not ask Allah by any created being, whether a prophet or anyone else. Rather, ʿUmar said:

“O Allah, when we suffered drought, we used to seek to draw near to You through our Prophet, and You would grant us rain. Now we seek to draw near to You through our Prophet’s uncle, so grant us rain.”

They would then be granted rain. Likewise, it is established in Sahīh Muslim, on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar, Anas and others, that when they suffered drought, they sought to draw near to Allah only through the Prophet’s supplication and his prayer for rain, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is not reported of any of them that, during his lifetime, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he asked Allah Most High by a created being