though they are not its guardians. Its guardians are only the God-fearing.” Thus, He, glorified be He, has made clear that the polytheists are neither His allies nor the guardians of His House. His allies are only the God-fearing.

It is established in the two Sahīh collections that ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀs, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say openly, not in secret:

“The family of so-and-so are not my allies”—meaning a group of his relatives—“my allies are only Allah and the righteous believers.”

This accords with His words, Most High:

“Allah is his Protector, as are Gabriel and the righteous believers.”

And the verse continues. “The righteous believers” means those believers who are righteous: the God-fearing believers who are Allah’s allies. They include Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, ʿAlī, and all the others who took the Pledge of Divine Pleasure beneath the tree. They numbered one thousand four hundred, and all of them will be in Paradise, as is established in the Sahīh that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“No one who pledged allegiance beneath the tree will enter the Fire.”

Another hadith conveys a similar meaning:

“My allies are the God-fearing, whoever they may be and wherever they may be.”

Just as some disbelievers claim to be allies of Allah when they are not His allies but His enemies, so too there are hypocrites who outwardly profess Islam. They outwardly affirm the testimony that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that he was sent to all mankind—indeed, to both mankind and jinn—yet inwardly believe