—befitting for us to invoke Him directly; for were we to do so, we might fear that He would turn us back disappointed or simply pay no heed, leaving us to return empty-handed. Yet there are righteous people—prophets, messengers, martyrs—who are near to Him, exalted be He; when they beseech Him, He answers, and when they intercede, He accepts their intercession. Should it not therefore be more appropriate, indeed preferable, for us to seek nearness to Him through their standing, to preface our supplication with mention of them, hoping that God Most High will look upon us in honour of them and grant our request out of regard for their station? Why, then, do you forbid this form of tawassul, when people employ it among themselves? Why should they not employ it with their Lord and the One they worship?

Our reply to this misconception is: O people, you are measuring the Creator by the standard of the created. You are likening the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth—the Wisest of judges, the Most Just of all who judge, the All-Gentle, the All-Merciful—to those tyrannical rulers and overbearing despots who care nothing for the welfare of their subjects. Such rulers erect screens and veils between themselves and the populace so that no one can reach them except through go-betweens and intermediaries, intermediaries who must be placated with bribes and gifts, flattered and courted. Have you not realised, you wretched souls, that by adopting this analogy you are disparaging your Lord, casting aspersions upon Him, offending Him, and attributing to Him what He abhors and detests?

Have you considered that you are ascribing to God Most High the vilest of qualities when you compare Him to oppressive monarchs and debauched tyrants? How can your religion permit you to do this, and how can it be reconciled with the reverence and glorification you owe to your Lord and Creator?

Now imagine that someone were actually able to address a ruler face to face