base their actions on spiritual states through which they exert influence in the world, without seeking what pleases the Lord and what He loves. They frequently err, imagining that disobeying Him is what pleases Him. They thus end up setting aside His commands and prohibitions, calling this “reality.” They imagine that they must follow this reality of divine decree without restraint, disregarding the religious reality of His commands, which encompasses what pleases the Lord, what He loves, and His commands and prohibitions, both outwardly and inwardly.

Such people are often deprived of their spiritual states and may revert to various forms of sin and wickedness. Indeed, many of them turn away from Islam altogether, for the good outcome belongs to those who fear Allah. Whoever does not observe the limits of Allah’s commands and prohibitions is not among the God-fearing. Thus, they fall into some of the same errors as the polytheists: sometimes adopting an innovation they imagine to be divinely prescribed, and sometimes invoking divine decree against His commands.

When Allah Most High mentioned the things for which He condemned the polytheists in Surahs al-An'ām and al-A'rāf, He mentioned the religious practices they had invented and made into prescribed law. As He Most High says:

“When they commit an indecency, they say, ‘We found our forefathers doing this, and Allah has commanded us to do it.’ Say, ‘Allah does not command indecency.’”

He condemned them for forbidding what Allah had not forbidden and prescribing what Allah had not prescribed. He also mentioned their appeal to divine decree in His words, Most High:

“Those who associated others with Allah said, ‘Had Allah willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have worshipped anything besides Him, nor would we have forbidden anything without His command.’”

Similar passages occur in Surahs al-Nahl, Yā Sīn, and al-Zukhruf. These people bear a resemblance to the polytheists in both respects.

As for the third category—those who turn away from worshipping Allah and seeking His help—they are the worst of these categories.