things attributed to Him. If only they knew that someone loved for another’s sake is loved only when that other is loved: the latter is loved for his own sake, while the means are loved only incidentally.
If they reflected on their own words, they would realize that it is impossible to love worshipping Him or to love His allies unless He Himself is loved. If they suppose that He is not loved for His own sake, then loving the deeds through which food and drink are obtained is, in reality, merely loving food, drink, and sexual intercourse. This would be no different from loving other objects of desire. Thus, love for Allah and His Messenger would, in reality, amount only to loving food and drink, if—as these people maintain—Allah is not loved for His own sake.
This “issue” is the foundation of worshipping Allah, just as the “first issue” is the foundation of affirming Allah. That entails giving up one’s life and wealth, as the Most High says:
“Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their wealth in exchange for Paradise”—to the end of the verse.
For this reason, He describes those who love Him and whom He loves as:
“Humble toward the believers, mighty against the disbelievers, striving in the cause of Allah and fearing no critic’s blame.”
Indeed, the root of “friendship” is love, and the root of “enmity” is hatred. Denying love and hatred entails denying Allah’s friendship and enmity—as when some jurists rejected the words, “Whoever You take as an enemy will never attain honor.” And He says:
“Do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies.”
This is an extensive subject. My writings on these two foundations run to numerous volumes, and the statements of earlier and later people of knowledge and faith on this subject are available.
As for the statement:
“How can we conceive of worshipping One whom we do not know? For believing in what we do not know, obeying what we do not know, or glorifying and praising what we do not know, and other such forms of