⦗5⦘ “Whoever claims that the prophets—and others among the scholars and the righteous—serve as intermediaries between Allah and His creation, resembling the chamberlains who stand between a king and his subjects, so that they convey to Allah the needs of His creatures and that Allah only guides, provides for, and grants victory to His servants through their mediation—meaning that people petition them while they, in turn, petition Allah, just as courtiers present the people’s requests to the king because of their closeness to him, the people addressing the courtiers out of courtesy and because appealing to them is thought more beneficial than appealing directly to the king owing to their nearness—whoever affirms such intermediaries in this manner is a disbelieving polytheist who must be called upon to repent; if he repents, all well and good, otherwise he is to be put to death. Such individuals have likened Allah to His creation, equating the Creator with the created and setting up rivals to Him…”