As for what he is commanded to hate and repel, this includes cases where someone openly displays disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience. He is commanded to hate, repel, and denounce this as far as he is able, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said in the authentic hadith:

“Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue. If he cannot, then with his heart—and that is the weakest level of faith.”

As for matters in which the servant is commanded to do neither, these include the permissible acts he sees another person performing, when it is not apparent to him that they are being used to assist in either obedience or sin. He is commanded neither to love nor to hate such acts. The same applies to his own purely permissible acts, which he does not intend to use to assist in either obedience or sin.

Yet this reflects a shortcoming on his part, for he ought to perform only those permissible acts that help him obey Allah, intending thereby to support his obedience. This is the path of the foremost, those brought near to Allah, who draw close to Allah Most High through voluntary acts of worship after fulfilling their obligations. Each of them continues drawing close to Him in this way until He loves him and becomes his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his foot with which he walks.

As for someone who performs permissible acts heedlessly, or engages in superfluous permissible activities that do not assist in obedience, while fulfilling his obligations and avoiding forbidden things both inwardly and outwardly, he is among those who follow a moderate course, the people of the right.