and lives, defeating the enemy, and the like. In such cases, a person may act solely for that worldly purpose, which is blameworthy. But people of knowledge and faith understand the wisdom relating to the Creator—that He loves the deed and is pleased with it. The Qadarites, however—both the proponents of compulsion and the deniers of divine decree—do not understand this, as has been explained at length elsewhere.
Clearly, if someone prays and prostrates because prostration involves submission to Allah and drawing near to Him, casting the pebbles is not superior to this. The same applies when someone gives charity to benefit others, seeking the countenance of his Lord Most High, desiring neither recompense nor thanks from them.
As for his claim that once a person grasps a meaning and comprehends it fully, it loses its impact on the heart, this is not conceded. Rather, this varies according to the meaning involved. If it is something the heart does not esteem, it loses its impact on the heart. But if the heart holds that meaning in reverence, then, upon understanding it, a person reveres the words in proportion to the greatness of their meaning. Thus, the better a person understands the Quran