the righteous allies’ awareness of the unseen; yet all of them are mistaken. The story is authentic and well established, and it was a divine honour with which Allah honoured Umar, by means of which He saved the Muslim army from capture or massacre. Yet it contains nothing of the awareness of the unseen claimed by the Sufis. Rather, it falls under the heading of inspiration, in the terminology of the Sharia, or “telepathy,” in modern terminology. This is not infallible: it may be correct, as in this incident, and it may be mistaken, as is generally the case with human beings. Therefore, every ally of Allah must adhere to the Sharia in everything he says or does, lest he fall into violation and thereby forfeit the status of being one of Allah’s allies, whom Allah, Most High, described in a comprehensive and all-encompassing manner:

“Indeed, the allies of Allah shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve: those who have faith and are mindful of Allah.”

How well one has said:

If you see a person who can fly,
and walk upon the waters of the sea,
yet does not keep within the bounds of the Sharia,
then he is being led on gradually to ruin and is an innovator.

1111 — “The person I have seen who most closely resembled Gabriel was Dihyah al-Kalbi.”

Ibn Sa‘d recorded it (4/250) from Ibn Shihab, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said this.

I say: Its chain is authentic, except that it is mursal, for Ibn Shihab—al-Zuhri—was a junior Successor. However, it has corroboration in the hadith of Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, traced back to the Prophet, with the wording: “The prophets were presented to me …” The hadith continues, and at its end are the words: “And I saw Gabriel, and the one I saw most resembling him was Dihyah.” Muslim (1/106), Ahmad (3/334), and Ibn Asakir (17/155/1) recorded it through the route of al-Layth, from Abu al-Zubayr, from him.

Ibn Sa‘d also recorded from Ibn Umar, who said: “Gabriel would come to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbi.” Its chain is authentic according to Muslim’s criteria. Ahmad likewise recorded it (2/107), following Ibn Umar’s other hadith concerning Gabriel’s coming to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asking him about Islam, faith, and ihsan (spiritual excellence).