accompanies it in the form of a greater benefit or the prevention of another, greater harm—is ignorance and injustice. This encompasses “three categories” from which one should not abstain out of scrupulousness: benefits that equal their attendant harms, outweigh them, or are unalloyed—such as what is simply permissible, recommended, or obligatory. Abstaining from these out of scrupulousness is misguidance.

I shall explain this in detail here:

“Renunciation” is the opposite of desire. One says, “So-and-so renounces such-and-such,” and “So-and-so desires it.” “Desire” is a form of volition. Renouncing something therefore means having no desire for it, whether accompanied by aversion to it or by the absence of both desire and aversion, so that one neither desires nor dislikes it. Anyone who does not desire or want something renounces it.

Just as, on Allah’s path, it is praiseworthy to renounce those worldly excesses that Allah has encouraged people to renounce, so too is it praiseworthy to desire and seek what Allah has praised people for wanting and desiring. This is why volition is the foundation of the path. As Allah Most High says:

“And do not turn away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face.”

Allah Most High also says:

“And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it as he should, while being a believer—it is those whose striving will be appreciated.”

There are numerous similar passages.