Sahīh al-Bukhārī relates from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Allah Most High says: ‘Whoever shows enmity towards a close servant of Mine has openly challenged Me to war. Nothing by which My servant draws near to Me compares with fulfilling what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me through voluntary acts of worship until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his foot with which he walks. I have never hesitated over anything I am to do as I hesitate over taking the soul of My believing servant: he dislikes death, and I dislike causing him distress, yet he must undergo it.’”

Those who draw near to Allah through obligatory duties are the righteous who follow a middle course, the companions of the right. Those who draw near to Him through the voluntary acts He loves, after fulfilling their obligatory duties, are the foremost, who are brought near. Voluntary acts come only after obligatory duties.

Abū Bakr al-Siddīq said in his final counsel to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb:

“Know that Allah has a right over you at night which He will not accept during the day, and a right over you during the day which He will not accept at night. He will not accept a voluntary act until you fulfil the obligatory duty.”

The proponents of union claim that drawing near through voluntary acts entails the Real Himself being identical with the servant’s limbs, and that drawing near through obligatory duties entails the Real being identical with the servant’s entire existence. This is false in many respects; indeed, it is outright disbelief, as we have explained elsewhere.

If the Seal of Allah’s close servants is the last pious believer in this world, then that man is neither the best nor the most perfect of Allah’s close servants. Rather, the best and most perfect among them are their predecessors, who are more closely associated with the best of the messengers than others are. The more closely a servant is associated with the Messenger, learns from him, and conforms to his example, the better he is. For no one becomes a close servant of Allah except by following the Messenger inwardly and outwardly. The degree to which he follows the Messenger determines his standing as a close servant of Allah.