and he advised his close companions not to ask people for anything. In "al-Musnad": (Abū Bakr would drop the whip from his hand and would not say to anyone, "Hand it to me," and he would say, "My close friend instructed me not to ask people for anything"). In "Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim" and others, from ʿAwf ibn Mālik, that the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) pledged allegiance to a group and secretly told them, "Do not ask people for anything," so some of those individuals would drop the whip from their hand and would not say to anyone, "Hand it to me." The texts indicate the command to ask the Creator and the prohibition of asking the creation in various places, such as His saying, the Exalted [al-Sharḥ 7]: "So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship]. And to your Lord direct [your] longing." And the saying of the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) to Ibn ʿAbbās: "When you ask, ask Allāh, and when you seek help, seek help from Allāh." And among them is the saying of al-Khalīl [al-ʿAnkabūt 17]: "So seek provision from Allāh," and he did not say, "Seek provision with Allāh," because the placement of the adverb implies exclusivity and restriction, as if he said, "Do not seek provision except from Allāh." And He, the Exalted, said [al-Nisāʾ 32]: "And ask Allāh of His bounty."