He knows that this is attained through sincere devotion to Allah and seeking His Countenance. Yet if he intends to obtain it through sincere devotion to Allah and seeking His Countenance, he contradicts himself. For when someone desires one thing for the sake of another, the second is the true goal, desired for its own sake, while the first is desired merely as a means to it. Thus, if he intends to devote himself sincerely to Allah in order to become a scholar, one who knows Allah, a man of wisdom, someone honoured by his relationship with Him, or someone endowed with unveilings and powers of influence, or the like, then he is not seeking Allah. Rather, he has made Allah a means to that lesser goal. Only one who has tasted the sweetness of loving and remembering Him seeks Allah for His own sake from the outset.

People’s innate dispositions are formed to love Him, but some have had their innate disposition corrupted. Allah Most High says:

“So set your face towards the religion, inclining to true faith—the natural disposition Allah has instilled in mankind. There is no altering Allah’s creation.” [al-Rūm: 30]

In the two Sahīh collections, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is reported to have said:

“Every child is born upon the natural disposition; then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian or a Magian, just as an animal gives birth to its young whole. Do you find any among them that is mutilated?

Then Abū Hurayra says: Read, if you wish: ‘The natural disposition Allah has instilled in mankind. There is no altering Allah’s creation.’ [al-Rūm: 30]”

In Sahīh Muslim, ‘Iyād ibn Himār reports that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, related from his Lord, who said:

“I created My servants upright in faith