As for the first foundation—knowing what Allah loves—it is easier, although many people have erred concerning much of it.

As for the second foundation—that the newly introduced practice of listening produces these beloved things—this is where the difficulty lies. Here those who stumbled have stumbled, and those who went astray have gone astray. There is no power nor strength except through Allah.

We shall discuss this from several angles to clarify the point, Allah willing.

First: It must be understood that the revealed Law is the authority concerning acts that draw one nearer to Allah, acts of obedience, religious practices, and recommended deeds. No one may introduce a religious practice that Allah has not authorized and then say, “Allah loves this.” Indeed, it was by this very means that Allah’s religion and His laws were altered, and that polytheism and practices for which Allah had sent down no authority were introduced.

Everything in the Quran, the Sunnah, and the words of the early generations of this nation, its religious leaders, and its shaykhs that urges us to follow what has been sent down to us from our Lord, to follow His straight path, the Quran, and the revealed Law—and forbids the opposite—prohibits this very thing: introducing a religion that Allah has not authorized, whether it involves worshipping other than Allah or worshipping Allah in ways He has not commanded. Rather, the true religion is to worship Allah alone, without any partner, in the ways He has commanded us through His messengers.

Thus, concerning His words, “That He may test you as to which of you is best in deed” [Sūrah al-Mulk 2], al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyād said, “The most sincere and the most correct.” He was asked, “Abū ‘Alī, what is meant by the most sincere and the most correct?” He replied, “Indeed, a deed