and the most honored of them before Allah Most High—that he will come, prostrate himself, and praise Allah. He will not begin interceding until permission is granted to him and he is told:
“Raise your head. Ask, and you will be given; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.”
He also mentioned that his Lord will set a limit for him, and he will admit them to Paradise. All of this makes clear that the matter belongs entirely to Allah. He is the One who honors the intercessor by granting him permission to intercede, and the intercessor intercedes only for those for whom Allah permits him to do so. Then He sets a limit for the intercessor, and he admits them to Paradise. Thus, the matter rests upon His will, power, and choice. The intercessor of highest standing and greatest excellence before Him is the one whom He has favored above others, chosen, and selected for his perfect servitude, obedience, turning to Him, and agreement with his Lord concerning what He loves and approves.
If the rulings concerning swearing by anything other than Allah, directing one’s longing to it, reverently fearing it, guarding against its displeasure, and the like apply equally to all created beings, then no created being may be sworn by, regarded with such fear, or relied upon—even if it is the best of all created beings. None of the angels or prophets is entitled to this, let alone any of the shaykhs or righteous people.
As for asking Allah Most High by invoking created things: if this is on the grounds that He has sworn by them and honored them, then asking by invoking all such things would be permissible. If it is not permissible, then one may not ask by invoking any of them. Distinguishing in this matter between one person who venerates and another is like the distinction made by someone who claims that it is permissible to swear by some created things but not others. Just as the latter distinction is invalid, so too is the former.
If someone were to distinguish between that in which one must believe and that in which one need not believe, he would be told: One must believe in the angels and the prophets, and believe in everything the Messenger has conveyed, such as Munkar and Nakīr and the maidens