Although Ibn Sīnā and the philosophers refute these people, just as the imams of the religion refute him, these people are closer to the truth than Ibn Sīnā and his followers, as we shall explain, if Allah Most High wills.

Some speculative thinkers said that desire can be directed only toward something not yet existent that is to be brought into being—namely, what one intends to do. As for the eternal Being whose existence is intrinsically necessary, desire cannot be directed toward Him. They said that when someone says, “I desire Allah,” he means, “I desire to worship Him,” or something similar.

Others said that desire can indeed be directed toward the eternal Being Himself, whose existence is intrinsically necessary, as the scriptural texts expressly affirm.

On closer examination, there is no contradiction between these two positions. For something to be loved and desired for its own sake means that the one who loves and desires it does not seek it for the sake of anything else; rather, it is his ultimate object of desire. Something is desired and loved only because of the joy and pleasure that the one who loves and desires it finds in connection with it, since love is directed only toward what accords with the lover. Thus, the pleasure experienced in remembering, knowing, and looking upon the beloved is what is sought by the one who loves and desires the beloved for its own sake.