Thus, the three groups are veiled from these people by their false doubts and unsound principles. They have nothing beyond these. They delight in the absurdities they possess and are content with the fancies to which they have grown accustomed. Had they known that beyond these lay something nobler and greater, they would not have settled for anything less. But their minds fell short of it, and they were not guided to it by the light of prophethood. They were unaware of it and so did not strive to seek it. They considered what they possessed better than ignorance, while recognizing the contradictions and corruption in what others possessed.
Together, these factors led them to prefer what they possessed over everything else. This is the affliction of the various groups. Only those whom Allah grants well-being are spared it.
Know, then, that the secret of servitude, its ultimate purpose, and its wisdom are understood only by someone who knows the attributes of the Lord, Almighty and Majestic, without denying them; who understands the meaning and reality of divinity and what it means for Him to be God. Indeed, He is the true God, and every deity besides Him is false—indeed, the falsest of falsehoods. Such a person understands that true divinity belongs to Him alone, and that worship is the necessary consequence, effect, and implication of His divinity. Its connection to His divinity is like the connection between the attributes and that to which they pertain: between what is known and knowledge, between what is within one’s power and power, between sounds and hearing, between beneficence and mercy, and between giving and generosity.
How can someone who denies the reality of divinity and does not understand it properly understand the wisdom of acts of worship, their ends and purposes, and why they were prescribed? How can he understand a wisdom that constitutes the intended purpose of creation, for which created beings were brought into existence, messengers were sent, scriptures were revealed, and Paradise and Hell were created? And how can he understand that supposing creation to be devoid of that purpose would mean attributing to Allah something unworthy of Him—something far beneath the One who created the heavens and the earth in truth, not in vain; who did not create man without purpose or leave him neglected and untended? Allah Most High says:
23: 115 “Did you think that We created you in vain and that you would not be returned to Us?”
That is: for no purpose or wisdom, and not for you to worship Me or for Me to recompense you. He, Most High, explicitly states this in His words:
51: 56 “I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
Worship, then, is the purpose for which the jinn, mankind, and all created beings were created. Allah Most High says: 75: 36