when their aims have been fulfilled.

Many of the scholastic theologians establish Allah’s oneness only from the standpoint of His Lordship, whereas the messengers summoned people to it from the standpoint of His exclusive right to be worshipped. In the same way, many devout Sufis and possessors of spiritual states turn toward Allah solely through His Lordship, because of the inner states He grants them by which they exert influence. These people are of the same category as kings, and Allah has censured this class repeatedly in the Quran. Reflect on this, for it unveils the condition of a group who speak about “realities” and act upon them; yet—by my life—they deal only with certain cosmic, creational, decree-related realities tied to Lordship, not with the religious, legal, divine realities. I have addressed this point in several places, and it is a fundamental principle that merits close attention. Allah, exalted is He, knows best.