—the bearer of the praiseworthy banner, the owner of the promised Basin, the possessor of the Supreme Intercession, the holder of al-wasīlah and al-faḍīlah, and the recipient of manifest miracles; that through his religion Allah abrogated every previous dispensation; that He sent down to him the Seven Oft-Repeated Verses and the Magnificent Qur’an; and that He made his nation the best community ever raised for mankind—together with every other virtue and merit that proclaims his exalted rank and illustrious standing. May abundant blessings and peace be upon him.

I say: praise be to Allah, we are among the first to acknowledge all of this. Indeed, his standing with us is guarded far more jealously than it is by others who claim to love him and pretend to know his worth. The true gauge of all this is to follow him—peace and blessings be upon him—by carrying out his commands and shunning his prohibitions, as Allah the Exalted has said: “Say, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.’” 1 By Allah’s grace we are among the most eager people to obey Allah and follow His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him; and these two matters are the surest proofs of genuine affection and sincere love. This stands in contrast to excessive veneration and overblown descriptions, both of which Allah, exalted is He, has forbidden when He said: “People of the Book, do not go to extremes in your religion, and do not say anything about Allah except the truth.” 2 The Prophet himself, peace and blessings be upon him, likewise forbade such excess, saying: “Do not over-praise me as the Christians over-praised the son of Mary; I am only a servant, so say: the servant of Allah and His Messenger.” 3