if you wish: ‘The natural disposition upon which Allah created mankind. There is no altering Allah’s creation. That is the upright religion.’”

Moreover, every attribute of perfection that hearts are innately disposed to love belongs to Allah in its fullest perfection. Whatever is lovable in others comes from Him, glorified and exalted is He. He therefore deserves to be loved truly and perfectly. Denying a servant’s love for his Lord is, in reality, denying that He is God and worthy of worship. Likewise, denying His love for His servant entails denying His will, which in turn entails denying that He is Lord and Creator. Thus, denying this love entails denying that He is the Lord of all worlds and the God of all worlds. This is the position of the proponents of negation and denial.

For this reason, the two religious communities before us have agreed, on the basis of the traditions and words of wisdom they possess from Moses and Jesus, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them both, that the greatest commandment is to love Allah with all your heart, mind, and resolve. This is the very essence of pure monotheism, the religion of Abraham, which is the foundation of the religious law of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran.

Denying this is a notion taken from the polytheists and the Sabians, the enemies of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend. Whoever agrees with them on this—whether a philosopher, a speculative theologian, a jurist, or a religious innovator—has taken it from them. This became manifest among the esotericist Qarmatians of the Ismā‘īlīs. For this reason, Allah’s intimate friend, the leader of the pure monotheists, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, said:

“Have you considered what you have been worshipping, you and your forefathers? They are indeed enemies to me, except the Lord of all worlds.”

He also said: “I do not love