benefit and goodness, and so favor it on the basis of faith, even if they know of no textual evidence establishing its goodness. The others, however, base their preferences solely on the texts and what is inferred from them. Thus, one group has the Quran, while the other has faith. This is because each group is unaware of the truth possessed by the other, and each group’s path contains both truth and falsehood.

As for those who claim spiritual reality without observing the commands and prohibitions of revealed Law, they are astray, just as those who know the commands and prohibitions but commit whatever major sins they desire are defiantly disobedient.

These are the people of whom it has been said:

“Beware the trial posed by the wicked scholar and the ignorant worshipper, for theirs is a trial for all who are tried.”

“Spiritual reality” may pertain to divine decree, spiritual experience, or revealed Law. The term “law” encompasses revealed law, interpreted law, and altered law.

The purpose here is to discuss those who remain upright within the two groups, and to consider the condition of people devoted to worship and spiritual aspiration who have freed themselves from personal desire—that is, from making distinctions according to natural inclination—and have observed the distinctions prescribed by revealed Law insofar as they know them. There remains a “third category” in which they make no distinction based on natural inclination and know of no distinction prescribed by revealed Law. In this category, they go along with what occurs and with divine decree. As for someone who follows distinctions based on natural inclination, either knowing that he is sinning—in which case he is the scholar