And the (first) tendency often occurs among people of knowledge, but coupled with hardness of heart and the pursuit of personal desires. The (second) often occurs among people of compassion, but coupled with misguidance and ignorance. As for the “community of the middle way,” they possess both knowledge and mercy, as Allah has described Himself in the words:

“Our Lord, You encompass all things in mercy and knowledge.”

And He, Most High, says:

“My mercy encompasses all things.”

And He says:

“Your only God is Allah, other than whom there is no deity. He encompasses all things in knowledge.”

Likewise, He described the servant whom Moses met, saying:

“We had granted him mercy from Us and taught him knowledge from Our own presence.”

The just approach in “this matter,” in both word and deed, is to recognize that accepting someone’s state without objection has two meanings:

The first is to absolve him of blame, so that he is neither censured nor held sinful . . . (1).

The second is to judge what he has done to be correct, so that he deserves praise and reward. Thus, the “first” means the absence of censure and punishment, while the “second” means the presence of praise and reward. The “first” means the absence of Allah’s displeasure and punishment, while the “second” means the presence of His pleasure and reward. For this reason,