Some of those who discuss “the principles of jurisprudence” and explain the reasons for rulings of the revealed Law in terms of suitable attributes, when discussing this suitability and how the Lawgiver’s linking rulings to suitable attributes secures people’s interests and averts harm from them, regard benefit as being of “two kinds”: otherworldly and worldly. They identify otherworldly benefit with the wisdom found in governing the soul and refining character, and worldly benefit with whatever safeguards lives, wealth, chastity, reason, and the outward observance of religion.

They disregard the various forms of knowledge of Allah Most High, His angels, His Books, and His messengers found in inward and outward acts of worship, as well as the states and deeds of the heart: loving Allah, fearing Him, devoting one’s religion sincerely to Him, relying upon Him, hoping for His mercy, supplicating to Him, and other kinds of benefit in this world and the Hereafter. The same applies to what the Lawgiver has prescribed concerning fulfilling covenants, maintaining ties of kinship, the rights of slaves and neighbours, the rights Muslims have over one another, and the other things He has commanded and forbidden to preserve noble states and refine character. It thus becomes clear that this is only one part of the benefits brought by the revealed Law.

Likewise, anyone who attributes the prohibition of intoxicants and gambling solely to the wrongful consumption of wealth, and identifies their former benefit solely with obtaining wealth, resembles these people … (1) that these contests distract from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer by virtue of being activities, not by virtue of obtaining wealth. For in the latter respect, they distract from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer only as other ways of obtaining wealth do. It is well known that assets used to earn wealth are not prohibited without qualification merely because they distract from the remembrance of Allah and from