Moses, to whom Allah spoke, then Jesus, and then they come to Muhammad—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and upon them—and ask him to intercede.

Second: alongside this, one seeks access to Allah Most High by asking Him through the Prophet’s intercession and supplication, as in the hadith of the blind man cited and explained earlier. He asked the Messenger to supplicate and intercede for him, so the Messenger supplicated and interceded for him and instructed him to supplicate to Allah, saying:

“O Allah, I ask You and turn to You through him. O Allah, accept his intercession for me.”

Thus, he instructed him to ask Allah Most High to accept his intercession. This differs from someone who seeks access to Allah through the Messenger’s supplication and intercession when the Messenger has neither supplicated nor interceded for him. Such a person is seeking access through something that has not occurred. Only someone for whom he has supplicated and interceded can seek access through his supplication and intercession.

This category also includes the words of the Commander of the Faithful, ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, when seeking rain, as mentioned earlier. ʿUmar and the Muslims sought access to Allah through the supplication of al-ʿAbbās, and they themselves asked Allah Most High while al-ʿAbbās supplicated. They all sought intercession; al-ʿAbbās was not the only one who supplicated for them. Thus, seeking access through obedience to the Messenger and seeking access through his intercession both accompany the supplication and request of the person seeking access; neither occurs without them. These, then, are four forms, all of which are legitimate, and none is disputed by any person of knowledge and faith.

The religion of Islam rests upon two foundations: truly fulfilling the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The first requirement is that you not set up another god alongside Allah: you must not love a created being as you love Allah, hope in that being as you hope in Allah, or fear that being as you fear Allah. And whoever equates