and he will be their intercessor on the Day of Resurrection; he is therefore their master. He holds preeminence over the saints just as Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—holds preeminence over the prophets. The station of intercession will be established for him, and he will extol Allah and praise Him with praises through which the saints will acknowledge his superiority over them in knowledge of Allah.

This saint has thus always been mentioned as first: first at the beginning, first in remembrance, and first in knowledge; then first in questioning, first in the weighing, first in the Preserved Tablet, first in the covenant, first in the gathering, first in being addressed, first in being received, first in intercession, first in crossing and entering the abode, and first in visitation. At every station, he is the foremost of the saints, just as Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was the foremost of the prophets.

His position relative to Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—is at his ear, while the saints are at his nape. Such is his position when he stands before him in Allah’s dominion and in intimate converse with him. The image in the supreme assembly is this: he is upon his dais, with the saints behind him, rank upon rank, while the stations of the prophets are pictured before his eyes. These forty men, at every time, are his household. I do not mean his household by descent, but rather the household of remembrance.”