evil deeds, and maintaining this distinction until death. Whoever does not regard the good that is commanded as good, and the evil that is forbidden as evil, has no faith at all.

As the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in an authentic hadith:

“Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue. If he cannot, then with his heart—and that is the weakest level of faith.”

Likewise, in the authentic hadith narrated by ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Every prophet whom Allah sent to his people before me had devoted disciples and companions from among them who followed his sunnah and obeyed his commands. Then unworthy successors came after them, saying what they did not do and doing what they were not commanded to do. Whoever strives against them with his hand is a believer; whoever strives against them with his tongue is a believer; and whoever strives against them with his heart is a believer. Beyond that, there is not even a mustard seed of faith.”

Narrated by Muslim. Thus, the weakest level of faith is to reject evil in one’s heart. Whoever has no hatred in his heart for the evil that Allah and His Messenger hate has no faith at all.

Hence, those religious innovators who profess a general, shared love resembling the love of the polytheists are found to resent anyone who objects to any of their states. They say, “So-and-so objects, and so-and-so objects.” They may often be tried by someone who rejects both the truth and the falsehood they possess. The former thus resembles the Christian who accepts both truth and falsehood and loves both truth and falsehood, like the polytheist who loves Allah and also loves those set up as His rivals. The latter resembles the Jew who rejects both truth and falsehood and hates both truth and falsehood: he loves neither Allah nor those set up as His rivals. Rather, he is too arrogant to worship Allah, just as Pharaoh and his like were.