f resurrection comes, they will become their
enemies and treat them as infidels for having served others than God.
"But the gods whom ye call on beside Him have no power over the husk of
a date-stone! If ye cry to them they will not hear your cry; and if
they heard they would not answer you, and in the day of resurrection
they will disown your joining them with God." (Sura xxxv. 14,15.)

He who says: "O thou Prophet of God! O 'Ibn 'Abbas! O 'Abd-ul-Qadir!"
&c. with the persuasion that the souls of these blessed ones can obtain
from God that of which the suppliant has need, or that they can protect
him, is an infidel whose blood any one may shed, and whose goods any
one may appropriate with impunity unless he repent. There are four
different classes of idolaters.

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First, the infidels against whom the Prophet made war. These
acknowledge that God is the creator of the world, that He supports all
living creatures, that in wisdom He rules over all. "Say: who supplieth
you from the heavens and the earth? who hath power over hearing and
sight? and who bringeth forth the living from the dead, and bringeth
forth the dead from the living? who ruleth all things? they will surely
say: 'God,' then say: 'What! will ye not therefore fear Him.'" (Sura x.
32.) It is difficult to distinguish idolatry of this kind; but under an
outwardly orthodox appearance they go astray; for they have recourse to
divinities of their own choosing and pray to them.

Secondly, there are idolaters who say that they only call upon these
intermediary powers to intercede in their favour with God, and that
what they desire they seek from God. The Quran furnishes a proof
against them. "They worship beside God what cannot hurt or help them,
and say, these are our advocates with God! say: will ye inform God of
aught in the heavens and in the earth which He knoweth not?" (Sura x.
19.)

Thirdly, those are idolaters who choose one idol as their patron, or
rather those who, renouncing the worship of idols, become attached to
one saint, as Jesus or His Mother, and put themselves under the
protection of Guardian Angels. Against them we cite the verse: "Those
whom ye call on, themselves desire union with their Lord, striving
which of them shall be nearest to Him; they also hope for His mercy,
and fear His chastisement.