These people may call the religious innovations they have introduced “reality,” just as they call what they witness of divine decree “reality.” For them, the path of reality is a spiritual course whose follower is governed not by the Lawgiver’s commands and prohibitions, but by what he perceives, tastes inwardly, feels, and the like. These people do not invoke divine decree without qualification; rather, their mainstay is following their own opinions and desires. They designate what they perceive and desire as reality and command others to follow it instead of following the commands of Allah and His Messenger. This resembles the innovations of the speculative theologians—the Jahmiyyah and others—who treat the doctrines they have invented, contrary to the Quran and Sunnah, as rational truths that must be believed rather than what the revealed texts indicate.

They then either distort the Quran and Sunnah from their proper meaning or turn away from them altogether, neither reflecting upon them nor understanding them. Instead, they say, “We consign their meaning to Allah,” while believing the opposite of what they signify. When their supposed rational truths that contradict the Quran and Sunnah are subjected to scrutiny, they prove to be ignorant notions and corrupt beliefs. Likewise, when the others’ supposed realities of Allah’s friends, which contradict the Quran and Sunnah, are scrutinized, they prove to be desires followed by Allah’s enemies, not His friends.

The root of anyone’s misguidance lies in giving precedence to his own analogical reasoning over the text revealed by Allah, and in choosing desire over obedience to Allah’s commands. For inward taste, feeling, and similar experiences correspond to what a person loves: everyone who loves something has a taste and feeling proportionate to that love.

Thus, the people of faith experience inward taste and feeling of the kind explained by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in the authentic hadith:

“Three qualities—whoever possesses them will taste the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than