and His wisdom and mercy, and made worship of Him the purpose for which He created them, as expressed in His commands to them. The foundation of this is knowing Him and loving Him.

Whoever Allah guides to His straight path, He grants mercy, knowledge, and understanding of His most beautiful names and highest attributes. He blesses him with turning to Him, trembling at His remembrance, humbly submitting to Him, and worshipping Him with devotion.

He longs for Him as eagles long for their nests, and is devoted to Him in love as a child is to its mother. He worships none but Him, with hope, fear, and love, and devotes his religion sincerely to Him to whom this world and the Hereafter belong: the Lord of the first and the last, Master of the Day of Judgment, Creator of what you see and what you do not see, Knower of the unseen and the seen, whose command, when He wills something, is to say to it, “Be,” and it is.

He does not take rivals besides Him, like those who take rivals besides Allah, loving them as they love Allah, whereas those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah. He associates no one with his Lord and takes no protector or intercessor besides Him—neither king, prophet, nor friend. For:

“There is no one in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Most Merciful as a servant. He has enumerated them and counted them precisely. And each of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection alone.”

It is then that his Master chooses him, singles him out, grants him sound judgment, and guides him, by His permission, to the truth concerning which people differed. For He guides whom He wills to a straight path.

For after Adam, peace be upon him, and before Noah, peace be upon him, people adhered to monotheism and sincere devotion to Allah, as had their father Adam, the father of humankind—peace be upon him—until they introduced polytheism and idol worship—an innovation originating from