and tells them not to draw near it is himself a false deity. Anyone who disobeys Allah, exceeds His limits, and behaves arrogantly is called a false deity, because he has rebelled and overstepped the boundaries laid down by Allah.

Thus Ibn al-Qayyim’s statement, “anything by which the servant oversteps his bounds—whether it is worshipped, followed, or obeyed,” is a comprehensive definition of the false deity. Allah, exalted is He, has commanded that He alone be worshipped with no partner, that His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) be followed, and that He and His Messenger be obeyed in whatever they declare lawful or unlawful. Whoever transgresses these commands is a false deity. Whoever violates the exclusive right of worship that Allah has made obligatory for Himself alone and worships another alongside Him is a false deity. The polytheist is a false deity, for he has exceeded the limits of worship and directed acts of devotion to one who does not deserve them. The same applies to anyone who is worshipped and is pleased with being worshipped.

Anyone whom people worship, who rejoices in that, assumes leadership because of it, and sets himself up as a chief, is a false deity—such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, and the extremist Sufi shaykhs whose followers worship them while they are content with it, or who even invite people to worship them, as will be discussed. Such a person is a false deity in matters of worship.

As for the phrase “or followed”: Allah, majestic and exalted, has commanded all of creation to follow Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him); therefore it is not permissible for anyone to follow anyone other than him.