whereas every other edifice is set upon the brink of a crumbling cliff. Blessed, then, is He who elevated its standing, exalted its word, magnified its rank, and fortified its structure; who humbled its opponents and adversaries, subdued those who hate and oppose it, branded them as the vilest of creatures, and prepared for them—when they are brought before Him—a painful punishment (1). He declared them more misguided than grazing beasts, for they exchanged monotheism for polytheism, guidance for error, and Islam for disbelief. The Almighty passed upon the scholars and devotees of unbelief a judgment that all people of sound reason recognize as true and just, saying:

“Say, ‘Shall We inform you of those who are the greatest losers in respect of their deeds? They are those whose efforts have been wasted in the life of this world while they think that they are doing good work. They are the ones who disbelieved in the signs of their Lord and in meeting Him; so their deeds have come to nothing, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall assign them no weight. That is their recompense—Hell—for having disbelieved and for taking My signs and My messengers in mockery.’” (Qur’an 18:103–106)

Section (2)

So where can he flee who has turned away from the monotheism of his Lord and from obeying Him; who pays no heed to His command or to His summons; who has branded His Messenger a liar and refused to follow him; who has swerved from his law, abandoned his religion, adopted something other than his sunnah, and failed (3) to hold fast to His covenant? He has allowed ignorance to seize his soul, passion and obstinacy to lodge in his heart, denial and disbelief to fill his chest, and disobedience and defiance to direct his limbs. He meets God’s reports with denial, His commands with rebellion, and His prohibitions with transgression: the Lord grows angry while he is content, and is pleased while he is resentful; he loves what Allah hates, hates what Allah loves, allies himself with those who oppose Allah, and opposes those who