benefits and to repel harms, as do some ignorant people who invoke the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) when they stand at his grave, or who call upon those they claim are saints besides Allah. Such people are astray in their religion and foolish in their reasoning, for those whom they are calling upon possess nothing even for themselves. Allah the Exalted said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Say: I do not tell you that I possess the treasuries of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel” (Al-Anʿām 6:50); and He said: “Say: I have no power to benefit or harm myself except as Allah wills” (Al-Aʿrāf 7:188); and He said: “Say: Indeed, I do not possess for you harm or right guidance… Say: None can protect me from Allah, and I will never find a refuge apart from Him” (Al-Jinn 72:21–22).

A person must therefore realise that no matter how great a human being’s esteem and rank may be with Allah, he is never entitled to be invoked instead of Allah. On the contrary, those who truly enjoy status with Allah—whether prophets or the righteous—utterly disown anyone who calls upon them apart from Allah. Jesus (peace be upon him) will say, when Allah asks him, “Did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as two gods besides Allah’?”: “Glory be to You! It is not for me to say what I have no right to say” (Al-Māʾidah 5:116). Neither Jesus nor anyone else has the right to tell people to take him as a deity besides Allah: “If I had said it, You would surely have known it. You know what is within me, whereas I do not know what is within You. Truly, You alone are the Knower of the unseen… I told them only what You commanded me: ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord’” (Al-Māʾidah 5:116–117).

In short, we still hear of certain ignorant Muslims in some parts of the Muslim world who visit the graves of those they imagine to be saints and invoke them. Such behaviour is sheer folly of mind and a grave lapse in religion. These people will not