to have no will whatsoever arising from his own desires, but rather to will what the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, wills: to follow His revealed will if it becomes clear to him; otherwise, to go along with His decreed will. Thus he follows either the Lord’s command or His creation, and to Him, glorified be He, belong creation and command.

This is a “sound path in accordance with the revealed law.” The only concern for one who follows it is that he might abandon something prescribed by Allah’s revealed will without knowing that it is prescribed, or give precedence to His decreed will over His revealed will. For if he does not know that something is prescribed, he may abandon it or desire its opposite, thus neglecting a command or committing a prohibition without knowing it.

For one who follows the “path of the will,” there is a concern about deficient knowledge, deficient practice accompanying that knowledge, and falling into error. Likewise, for one who follows the path of knowledge, there is a concern about deficient practice and deficient knowledge accompanying that practice. Yet Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity in either respect. The Most High says:

“So fear Allah as much as you are able.”

If the wayfarer gains understanding and learns the commands and prohibitions to the best of his ability, and his knowledge and will accord with that, then this is the extent of his capacity. Likewise, if the seeker fulfils what he has been commanded to do, refrains from what he has been forbidden, and his knowledge accords with his practice, then this is the extent of his capacity.