his—the angel’s—knees against the knees of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and “he placed his palms on his thighs.” The scholars explain that he put his palms on his own thighs, not on the Prophet’s, and this reflects the height of courtesy expected from a learner in front of his teacher: he should sit respectfully, ready to take in what he will hear and attentive to the ḥadīth being recited.

After assuming this posture he said, “O Muḥammad, inform me about Islam.” He did not say, “O Messenger of Allah, inform me,” mimicking the ways of the desert Bedouins, for when the Bedouins came to the Prophet—peace be upon him—they would address him by name, saying, “O Muḥammad.”

Those, however, who had absorbed the etiquette Allah taught them would never say “O Muḥammad”; rather, they would say, “O Messenger of Allah,” because the Most High said: “Do not make the summons of the Messenger among yourselves like the summons of one of you to another” (Qurʾān 24:63). This covers both calling him by name and the manner in which we deal with his commands and prohibitions: we are not to treat his command like that of ordinary people—obeying if we wish and neglecting if we wish—nor his prohibition like that of ordinary people—desisting if we wish and acting if we wish.

Likewise, when we address him, we do not call him as we call one another—“O so-and-so, O so-and-so”—the way you would address a companion. Instead you say, “O Messenger of Allah.” But the Bedouins, living far from centres of learning and with most of them ignorant, would, when they came, address him by name, saying, “O Muḥammad.”

He said, “Inform me about Islam,” meaning, “What is Islam?” The Prophet—peace be upon him—answered, “That you bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

This is the first pillar: you testify with your tongue, uttering the words, and with your heart, affirming them—namely, that there is no deity except