is coupled with bliss, while associating partners with Him is coupled with punishment. This is the distinction brought by the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. In their view, it amounts to Allah’s knowledge of what will happen and His informing us of it. For these people, the distinction does not rest on His loving the one and hating the other.

They agree with the polytheists in some of what they say, not all of it, just as the Qadariyyah within this Muslim community—who are the Magians of this community—agree with the Magians proper in some of what they say, not all of it. Yet the Messenger called them to worship Allah alone, without any partner; to love Allah rather than anything besides Him; and to hold Allah and His Messenger dearer than everything else.

Love depends on the reality of its object. If the beloved is not in himself worthy of being loved, it cannot be right to command love for him, let alone require that he be dearer to us than everything else.

If it is said that “love for Him” means loving to worship and obey Him, the reply is that loving worship and obedience depends on loving the One who is worshipped and obeyed. Whoever is not loved in himself, worshipping and obeying him will not be loved. Thus, people hate obeying someone whom they hate. While hating him, they cannot love obeying him except for some other end that they love, such as a reward he gives them for their obedience. What they truly love, then, is that reward. Allah and His Messenger would therefore not be dearer to them than everything else, except in the sense that the reward they receive from among created things is dearer to them than anything else.

Loving that reward depends on being aware of it, for it is impossible to love something of which one is unaware.

If it is said: “They have been promised that, in return for loving Allah and His Messenger, they will be given the best of the created things they love,”