—is that by which one attains the intended objective.1

As for the second verse, the noble Companion ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud (Allah be pleased with him) clarified the occasion of its revelation, which in turn sheds light on its meaning. He said: “It was sent down about a group of Arabs who used to worship a company of jinn; the jinn embraced Islam, while the humans who worshipped them were unaware of it.”2

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar—may Allah have mercy on him—3 commented: “That is, the humans who had been worshipping the jinn went on worshipping them, but the jinn themselves no longer approved, for they had accepted Islam. It is these jinn who are now seeking a means of approach to their Lord, and this is the sound interpretation of the verse.”

I say: The verse is explicit that al-waseelah denotes whatever brings a person nearer to Allah Most High. This is why He said “they seek”—meaning that they look for righteous deeds by which they may draw close to Allah. The verse likewise draws attention to this odd phenomenon that flies in the face of all sound thinking: that some people direct their worship and supplication to certain servants of Allah, fearing them and placing their hopes in them, even though those servants have openly embraced Islam, acknowledge their servitude to Allah, and vie with one another to draw near to Him through righteous works that He loves and approves, hoping for His mercy and fearing His punishment. Hence He, exalted be He, decries in this—