even the rudiments of understanding it, let alone its true nature. It is enough for them to believe in general terms that Allah, glorified is He, is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy. Whoever does evil does so only out of need—which is incompatible with His self-sufficiency—or out of deficiency and fault—which are incompatible with His praiseworthiness. It is therefore impossible for evil to proceed from the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy as an act of His, even though He is the Creator of good and evil.

You now know that something’s being evil is relative, while in itself it is good insofar as it is attributed to its Creator and Originator. Do not overlook this point, for it opens a great door to knowing and loving the Lord, and dispels doubts that have bewildered the minds of many eminent people.

I have discussed this at length in my books al-Tuhfa al-Makkiyya and al-Fath al-Qudsī, among others.

If this remains unclear to you, I shall explain it through examples.

One is this: when a thief’s hand is amputated, its amputation is evil in relation to him, but pure good in relation to people at large, because it protects their property and wards off harm from them. It is also good in relation to the One who commands and decrees the amputation, because it shows kindness to His servants generally by removing this limb that injures and harms them. He is therefore praised for decreeing it and thanked for commanding it; for this He deserves His servants’ praise, commendation, and love.

The same applies to the decree that those who assail people’s lives and sanctities be put to death, and that those who assail their honor be flogged. If this is the punishment for those who assail their worldly interests, what, then, of the punishment for those who assail their religion and stand between them and the guidance with which Allah sent His messengers, and upon which He made His servants’ happiness in this life and the Hereafter depend? Is there not pure good, wisdom, justice, and kindness to His servants in punishing such an aggressor? Yet that punishment is evil in relation to the transgressing aggressor.