—namely, that pure servitude which has no existence nor reality (1) unless one wholly devotes himself to following the Messengers—may blessings and peace be upon them all. For this servitude reached us only through their tongues; it was known solely by means of them, and there is no path to it except by imitating them. Allah the Exalted has said: “We shall turn to all the deeds they performed and render them scattered dust” (2) [Q 25:23].

Thus, any deeds done in this life that run counter to the sunnah and way of His Messengers, or are performed for any face other than His, Allah will make them scattered dust, from which their doer gains absolutely no benefit. Few regrets on the Day of Resurrection are greater for a servant than to see all his striving wasted, bringing him nothing at the very moment he needs his works most—whereas those whose efforts were sound will be made happy by their striving.

Section

Such, then, is the ruling concerning the wretched followers. As for the blessed followers, they fall into two categories:

1. Followers who are treated as independent in their own right. About them Allah says: “The foremost—the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers—and those who followed them with excellence: Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him” (6) [Q 9:100].