And the point here is that, through their love for Allah and His Messenger, the people of faith experience a sweetness of faith commensurate with that love. This is why the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, linked what they experience to love, saying:

“Whoever possesses three qualities will experience the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than anything else; that he loves a person solely for Allah’s sake; and that he hates to return to disbelief as he hates to be thrown into the Fire.”

This includes what they experience of the fruits of monotheism, sincere devotion, reliance upon Allah, and supplication to Him alone. In this regard, people are of three degrees:

Some know this through what they have heard and through reasoning.

Others have witnessed and seen firsthand what those people experience.

Still others have personally experienced the reality of sincere devotion, reliance upon Allah, taking refuge in Him, and seeking His help. They have severed their attachment to anything besides Him and learned from their own experience that when they attach themselves to created beings, place their hopes in them, and expect them to bring some benefit or ward off some harm, those beings let them down, and they do not attain what they seek. Indeed, they may offer them services, money, and other things, hoping that they will help them in their hour of need, only to receive no help—either because those beings are unable to help or because their hearts have turned away from them. And when