Chapter: Reports on the Prophet’s ﷺ safeguarding of the sanctuary of pure monotheism and his blocking of every route to polytheism.

Abdullah ibn al-Shikhkhir (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I set out with a delegation from Banu ʿAmir to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. We said, ‘You are our master.’ He replied, ‘The Master is Allah.’ We then said, ‘And you are the best of us in virtue and the greatest of us in generosity.’ He said, ‘Speak with your customary words—or part of them—but do not let Satan carry you away.’ (1) Reported by Abu Dawud with a good chain.

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Relevance of this chapter to the Book of Monotheism: It shows that monotheism is only perfected by avoiding every statement that leads to exaggeration about a created being, for such excess may result in polytheism.

Glossary of names and terms:
• Ibn al-Shikhkhir—pronounced with a kasra on the shīn and a doubled khāʾ—is Abdullah ibn al-Shikhkhir ibn ʿAwf ibn Kaʿb ibn Waqdān al-Ḥurayshī. He embraced Islam on the day of the Conquest and was a Companion who transmitted hadith.
• ḥimāya: protecting something and shielding it from any disliked or harmful intrusion.
• al-Muṣṭafā: “the Chosen One,” derived from ṣafwah, the purest part of a thing.
• ḥimā al-tawḥīd: preserving monotheism from any actions or statements that