and both are blameworthy positions, entailing either the abandonment of something commanded that Allah loves or the commission of something objectionable that Allah hates.

He also included good and acceptable statements, both his own and those of the shaykhs. Thus, his discussion of protective jealousy encompassed all three categories. The first kind of protective jealousy consists in disliking the repentance of sinners and the worship of those who fall short, as in his account of al-Shiblī, who was asked when he would find rest and replied, “When I see no one remembering Him.”

He said: “It is related that al-Shiblī had a son called Abū al-Hasan who died. His mother grieved for him and cut off her hair, while al-Shiblī entered the bathhouse and applied a depilatory to his beard. Everyone who came to offer him condolences asked, ‘What is this, Abū Bakr?’ He would reply, ‘To be in accord with my family.’ One of them said to him, ‘Tell me, Abū Bakr, why did you do this?’ He replied, ‘I knew that they were offering me condolences heedlessly and saying, “May Allah Most High reward you,” so I ransomed their remembrance of Allah Most High