the very framework that holds monotheism together: whoever affirms Allah’s oneness and believes in the divine decree has perfected his tawḥīd, whereas whoever affirms Allah’s oneness yet denies the decree, his denial undermines that very tawḥīd.

One must also have faith in the revealed Law (sharīʿah)—that is, faith in the commands and prohibitions, the promises and threats with which Allah sent His messengers and through which He revealed His books.

[Man’s indispensable need for the Sharīʿah during his worldly life]

The human being is in urgent need of a Law in this life. He must act to obtain what benefits him and act to repel what harms him, and it is the Sharīʿah that distinguishes between beneficial and harmful deeds. It is Allah’s justice among His creation and His light among His servants; mankind simply cannot live without a Law by which they tell what they should do from what they should leave.

Nor is the purpose of the Sharīʿah confined to dispensing justice among people in their mutual dealings. Even an individual cut off from society must still choose between doing and abstaining, for man is a creature of resolve and action. As the Prophet ﷺ said, “The truest of names is Ḥārith—