fight the Muslims and refrain from fighting the disbelievers, whereas these people have helped the disbelievers fight the Muslims and humbled themselves before the disbelievers. They have thus become helpers of the disbelievers, submissive to them, while remaining hostile to the believers and overbearing toward them. Such conduct has been observed among groups of the Qarāmitah, the Rāfidah, the Jahmiyyah who deny the divine attributes, and the Hulūliyyah (advocates of divine indwelling).
Anyone who surveys the state of the world will find instructive lessons in this. These people have come to resemble those of whom Allah Most High says:
“Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture, who believe in superstition and false deities and say of the disbelievers, ‘These are better guided than the believers’? Those are the ones whom Allah has cursed; and whoever Allah curses—you will never find any helper for him.”
[al-Nisā’: 51–52]
This is why you find many of these deniers writing about associating partners with Allah, magic, the worship of celestial bodies and idols, and the hypocrisy and heretical unbelief found in the writings of many philosophers and others. Indeed, such a person submits to these disbelievers and hypocrites and humbles himself before them, while seeking to dominate and subjugate the believers—even if this results from the weakness, negligence, and hostility of the believers who fought him. Likewise, his subjugation by those disbelievers resulted from his own weakness, brought about by his negligence and transgression. He therefore deserves blame to the extent that he has neglected the duties owed to Allah and violated what He has declared inviolable, just as these believers also deserve blame to the extent that they have neglected the duties owed to Allah and violated what He has declared inviolable.
Allah Most High has said:
“Today, because you did wrong, it will not benefit you that you share in the punishment.”
[al-Zukhruf: 39]
The point here is to say to those who deny Allah’s highness while affirming some of His attributes:
We are not content to answer you with the answers you yourselves give to those who deny the attributes