their worldly advantages are greater when disbelievers, hypocrites, and wrongdoers gain ascendancy, so their desire for this is stronger. Most of the protectors who accompany them belong to this category: they obtain advantages under their ascendancy that they would not obtain under the ascendancy of the believers. Their devils love these blameworthy advantages and urge them to pursue them. The devils address them with commands, prohibitions, and unveilings that they imagine come from Allah. They believe that Allah Himself has commanded and forbidden them, and that they have received unveilings like those granted to Allah’s pious allies, whereas all of this comes from devils.

They do not distinguish between states that come from the Most Merciful and those that come from devils, because this distinction depends on recognizing that the Lord Most High Himself distinguishes between them. In their view, however, there is no distinction on Allah’s part between any of the things that occur: there is only sheer will, encompassing everything alike, so He neither loves anything nor hates anything.

This is why these people participate in the same kind of listening sessions, which stir the love, ecstasy, and spiritual experience within their souls. Such listening arouses each person’s love and desire, yet their desires differ, for they have not united upon loving what Allah and His Messenger love. According to their fundamental position, whatever the True One decrees and brings about is what He loves.

When their desires differ in ecstasy, the desires of their devils differ as well. One of them may kill another by means of his devils, because they are stronger than the other’s devils. He may also strip him of his state—the power to exert influence and the unveilings attained through their devils. His devils will have fled from the other’s devils, leaving him weakened and stripped of his state, like a king whose supporters have been taken away, leaving him abased and without a kingdom.