We therefore say: Know that the love which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, attributes to Allah for various kinds of entities, qualities, and actions, and His hatred of others, are analogous to His commanding certain actions and forbidding others. Love and hatred are the foundation of command and prohibition. Likewise, He promises reward for good deeds and threatens punishment for evil deeds.

His commands, prohibitions, promises, love, hatred, reward, and punishment all belong to the same category. The prophetic texts concerning both sides are expressed in unrestricted, general terms. They therefore conflict in their application to certain entities and actions that fall within the texts concerning praise and blame, love and hatred, command and prohibition, and promise and threat. We have discussed matters relating to this principle extensively elsewhere, because it concerns both the foundations of religion and its subsidiary matters.

Among the most important questions arising from it is that of the religious designations and rulings applicable to sinful Muslims: whether reward and punishment can both apply to the same person, as Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah maintain, or whether they cannot coexist; whether the same thing can be loved in one respect and hated in another, praised in one respect and blamed in another, as the majority of the Khārijites and Muʿtazilites maintain; and whether the same act can be commanded in one respect and forbidden in another.

Scholars, including jurists, theologians, and others, have disagreed over this.