my likeness.” He regards this as one of the miraculous gifts granted to the righteous and uses it to justify those who seek aid from the righteous and take them as lords, claiming that when people seek their aid, Allah sends angels in their likeness to help those who invoke them.

Thus, I know more than one prominent shaykh possessed of truthfulness, asceticism, and devotion to worship who, supposing this to be one of the miraculous gifts granted to the righteous, began instructing his disciples:

“If any of you has a need, let him seek my aid, call upon me for help, and ask for my counsel.” He would also say, “After my death, I shall do what I used to do during my lifetime.”

Yet he does not know that these are devils who have assumed his likeness to mislead him and his followers, making associating partners with Allah, invoking others besides Allah, and seeking their aid seem good to them. Nor does he realize that they may cast into his heart the words, “After your death, we shall do for your companions what we used to do for them during your lifetime.” He supposes this to be a divine communication cast into his heart, and so instructs his companions accordingly.

I know someone among these people whom devils used to serve during his lifetime in various ways, such as speaking to his companions who sought his aid, helping them, and so forth. After he died, they began appearing to individual followers in the shaykh’s likeness, giving them the impression that he had not died, and sending his companions messages purporting to be from him.

One of this shaykh’s followers used to meet with me. He was ascetic and devoted to worship, and loved both me and this shaykh. He thought that this was among the miraculous gifts granted to the righteous and that the shaykh had not died. He told me about the words the shaykh had sent him after his death and read them aloud; they proved to be the speech of devils