to pray for rain. The words, “I turn to You through Your Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy,” mean through his supplication and intercession for me. Hence the hadith concludes: “O Allah, accept his intercession for me.” The permissibility of what this hadith describes is agreed upon; it is not the matter under discussion here. Allah Most High has said:

“And fear Allah, in whose name you appeal to one another, and honour the ties of kinship.”

According to the majority’s reading, in which “ties of kinship” is in the accusative, people appeal to one another in Allah’s name alone, not on the grounds of kinship. Their appeals in Allah’s name include adjuring one another by Allah and making covenants with one another in His name.

As for the reading in the genitive, a group of the early generations explained it as referring to their saying: “I ask you by Allah and by our ties of kinship.” This describes how they make their requests, and it may be argued that it does not establish the permissibility of doing so. If it does establish its permissibility, then “I ask you by our ties of kinship” does not mean adjuring someone by kinship—such adjuration is impermissible here—but rather making a request on the grounds of kinship. That is, kinship gives relatives rights over one another. This is like the three men asking Allah Most High through their righteous deeds, or our asking through the supplication and intercession of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Also in this category is the report concerning the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib: whenever his nephew, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar, asked him on the grounds of Jaʿfar’s right, he would give to him. This was not a form of adjuration, for adjuring by someone other than Jaʿfar would be greater still. Rather, it was an appeal to the rights of kinship, for Allah’s right became binding only through Jaʿfar, and Jaʿfar had a right over ʿAlī.

Also in this category is the hadith narrated by Ibn Mājah from Abū Saʿīd, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concerning the supplication of one setting out for prayer:

“O Allah, I ask You by the right that those who ask of You have upon You, and by the right of this walk of mine, for I have not set out in boastfulness or arrogance, nor to show off or gain a reputation