yet even so, since the natural disposition does not entail any of them, they are attributed to their cause. If the natural disposition did not entail Islam, its relation to Islam would be like the relation of being made a Jew or a Christian to being made a Magian. It too would therefore have to be mentioned, just as those were mentioned.

Likewise, if the natural disposition did not entail eating when hungry—provided one was able to eat—eating would occur only through an external cause.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, likened milk to the natural disposition. When wine and milk were offered to him and he chose the milk, Gabriel said to him:

“You have chosen what accords with the natural disposition. Had you taken the wine, your nation would have gone astray.”

A child is naturally disposed to choose to drink milk of his own accord. Once he has access to the breast, he will inevitably suckle. His suckling necessarily follows if no opposing factor intervenes: he is born disposed to suckle. Likewise, he is born disposed to know Allah, and this knowledge necessarily arises in him if no opposing factor intervenes.

Moreover, the soul’s love for Allah, its submission to Him, and its exclusive devotion to Him, as compared with