the two kinds are interconnected. No one among the Jahmiyyah, who deny Allah’s attributes, or those who liken Him to creation is free of some form of associating partners with Allah in practice. The very foundation of their position involves associating partners with Him and equating Allah with His creation or with nonexistent things. Thus, those who deny His attributes equate Him with nonexistent things through negative attributes that entail neither praise nor the affirmation of perfection. Or they equate Him with deficient existing beings through attributes of imperfection. Likewise, when they affirm attributes, they—and others like them who liken Him to creation—equate Him with created things in their essential realities. They may even worship these things, setting them as equals to their Lord, assigning rivals to Him, and equating created beings with the Lord of all worlds.

The Jews frequently equate the Creator with created beings and liken Him to them, even describing Allah as powerless, poor, miserly, and possessing other such imperfections from which He must be declared free, though they are attributes of His creation. The Christians frequently equate created beings with the Creator, even ascribing attributes of lordship and qualities of divinity to created beings and allowing for them what befits only the Creator. Glorified and exalted is He, far above what the wrongdoers say!

Allah, glorified and exalted, has commanded us to ask Him to guide us to the straight path: the path of those whom He has blessed—the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous—not those who have incurred wrath, nor those who have gone astray. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The Jews have incurred wrath, and the Christians have gone astray.”

Within this community are people who resemble both groups, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“You will surely follow the ways of those who came before you in every detail, even if