or using him as a means. If the words “by the right of those who ask You” constitute an oath, then one may adjure Allah only by Allah Himself. If they invoke a means, then that means is something He, glorified be He, has Himself made a means: supplicating to Him and worshipping Him. All these cases are similar. None involves supplicating to Him by means of a created being without either supplication on that being’s part or a righteous deed on ours.

When a supplicant says, “I ask You by the right of the angels, or by the right of the prophets and the right of the righteous,” yet does not say to another person, “I adjure you by their right”—if he may neither swear by that right nor adjure a created being by it, how can he adjure the Creator by it? If he is not swearing by it but merely invoking it as a means, the persons themselves do not constitute a means that ensures the attainment of his aim. Rather, there must be a means on his part, such as faith in the angels and the prophets, or on their part, such as their supplication.

Yet many people have become accustomed to this, just as they have become accustomed to swearing by them. One of them will even say, “By the right you have upon Allah, and by the right this gray hair has upon Allah!”

If someone says, “‘I ask You by the right of so-and-so, or by his standing’ means ‘I ask You by my faith in him and my love for him,’ and this is among the greatest means of approach,” the reply is:

For anyone who intends this meaning, it is a sound meaning. But this is not what most of these people intend. Whoever says, “I ask You by my faith in You and Your Messenger,” or something similar, or “by my faith in Your Messenger and my love for him,” or something similar, has done well. As Allah Most High says concerning the believers’ supplication:

“Our Lord, we have heard a caller calling to faith, ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us our sins, remove from us our misdeeds, and let us die among the righteous.”

And He, Most High, says:

“Those who say, ‘Our Lord, we have indeed believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.’”

And He, Most High, says:

“Indeed, a group of My servants used to say, ‘Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You are