sacrifices to them and make vows to them, saying, “These remind us of those righteous people.”

The devils lead them astray just as they used to lead the polytheists astray. Sometimes a devil assumes the likeness of the person being invoked and worshipped, so the one invoking him thinks that he has come, or supposes that Allah has fashioned an angel in his likeness. A Christian, for example, may invoke Saint George or someone else while in captivity or other circumstances, and then see him coming through the air. The same happens to others. They have asked some of their patriarchs about this: how could he be present in all these places? The answer was: “These are angels whom Allah creates in his likeness to help whoever invokes him.” In reality, these are devils who have led the polytheists astray.

The same happens to many people of innovation, misguidance, and polytheism who claim to belong to this community. One of them invokes his revered shaykh and seeks his aid, though the shaykh is dead; or he seeks his aid at his grave, petitions him, and may make a vow to him or do something similar. He then sees that person coming to him through the air, warding off some harm he fears, answering some question he has asked him, or doing something of that kind. If the shaykh is alive, he thinks that the shaykh himself has come. Indeed, I know groups of such people who go to the very shaykh whose aid they sought, having seen him come to them through the air, and tell him about it.

One group goes to one shaykh, and another group to another. Sometimes the shaykh himself knows nothing of the incident. If he craves leadership, he remains silent and gives them the impression that he himself came to their aid. If he has some truthfulness, but is ignorant and misguided, he says:

“This is an angel whom Allah has fashioned in