“And who is more astray than one who follows his own desire without guidance from Allah?”

ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz said: “Do not be one who follows the truth when it agrees with his desires and opposes it when it goes against them. For then you will receive no reward for the truth you follow, yet you will be punished for opposing it.”

It is just as he said—may Allah be pleased with him—for in both cases, the person intends only to follow his own desires; he does not act for Allah’s sake. Do you not see that Abū Tālib supported the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and defended him more than others did? Yet he did so because of their kinship, not for the sake of Allah Most High. Allah therefore neither accepted this from him nor rewarded him for it. Abū Bakr al-Siddīq—may Allah be pleased with him—supported him with his person and wealth for Allah’s sake. Allah therefore said of him:

“But the most righteous will be kept far from it—he who gives his wealth to purify himself, not to repay anyone for a favour, but only to seek the Face of his Lord, the Most High. And he will surely be well pleased.”

(The third type): One who sometimes wills what Allah loves and sometimes wills what Allah hates. Most Muslims fall into this category: sometimes they obey Allah and desire what He loves, and sometimes they disobey Him and desire what their own inclinations lead them to, even though He dislikes it.

And (the fourth type): To have neither intention, intending neither to act for Allah’s sake nor to follow one’s own desire. This happens to many people in certain matters, and it also happens to many