This discourse has several aspects which we have explained elsewhere:

Among them is that the claim that a Seal of Allah’s close servants exists in the manner they describe is false and has no basis. No well-known figure before them mentioned this except Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muhammad ibn ‘Alī al-Tirmidhī al-Hakīm in his book Khatm al-Wilāya (The Seal of Closeness to Allah). In this book, he included erroneous statements contrary to the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. Although he—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—possessed merit and knowledge, and his writings contain commendable examples of sound, acceptable discourse and beneficial insights, they also contain errors that must be rejected. Among the most objectionable are those he mentioned in Khatm al-Wilāya, such as his claim that among later generations there would be someone whose rank before Allah was higher than that of Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and others.

Yet he contradicted himself elsewhere. When he reported that some people held that a close servant of Allah lives apart from other people, he rejected this, citing Abū Bakr and ‘Umar as evidence. He said, “This would imply that he is superior to Abū Bakr and ‘Umar,” and rejected that conclusion.

Another error is that he included statements in his book suggesting that abandoning outward acts of worship—even prescribed voluntary acts—is better for someone who has attained perfection and performs acts of the heart. This, too, is an error according to the masters of the spiritual path. For the most perfect of all creation is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Until his death, he continued to observe whatever regular devotions and voluntary bodily acts of worship he was able to perform.