For this reason, Christ was among those who declined yet mentioned no sin, whereas Abraham is superior to him and did mention a sin. Christ, however, said:

“I am not the one for this. Go to a servant whose former and latter sins Allah has forgiven.”

Christ’s holding back from the Praiseworthy Station, with which Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was uniquely favored, is itself one of Christ’s virtues and one of the things that draw him nearer to Allah. May Allah’s blessings be upon them all.

It is thus known that their holding back from intercession was not due to any diminution in the ranks they had already attained. Rather, they knew the tremendous stature of the Praiseworthy Station, which requires such complete forgiveness from Allah for the servant and such perfect servitude from the servant to Allah as were uniquely granted to the one whose former and latter sins Allah had forgiven.

For this reason, Christ said:

“Go to Muhammad, a servant whose former and latter sins Allah has forgiven.”

For if Allah has forgiven his latter sins, he will not fear being blamed when he goes to his Lord to intercede, even though he will intercede only after permission has been granted. Indeed, when he prostrates and praises his Lord with praises that He inspires him to utter—praises he had not known how to utter before then—he will be told:

“O Muhammad, raise your head. Speak, and you will be heard; ask, and you will be given; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.”

All of this is found in the two Sahih collections and elsewhere.

As for one who (was told)(1), “Come forward,” but of whom it was not known that his latter sins had been forgiven, he would fear that going to intercede—before being granted permission to intercede—might itself be a sin. He therefore held back because of the perfection of his fear of Allah Most High, saying, “I have sinned and have not been forgiven, so I fear committing another sin (2).” For the Prophet—may Allah bless