in preparing this response, for there is a wealth of material relevant to it. Here, when the whisperings were accompanied by this hatred and aversion, that was pure faith—faith unmixed and unalloyed. Neither the hypocrite nor the disbeliever experiences such hatred and aversion alongside these whisperings. Rather, if a person is in a state of simple disbelief—turning away from what the Messenger brought and failing to believe in it, even without believing that he spoke falsely—Satan may not trouble him with such whisperings. Whispering suggestions that oppose and contradict faith is needed only when something conducive to faith is present. If there is nothing within him conducive to faith, there is no need for an opposing force to repel it. If, however, he is in a state of compound disbelief, namely, denial, then his disbelief goes beyond mere whisperings, and he has no faith through which to abhor them.

Such whisperings, then, are something that believers generally experience. As Allah Most High says:

“He sends down water from the sky, and valleys flow according to their capacity, and the torrent carries swelling foam. And from what they heat in the fire, seeking ornaments or utensils, there is similar foam.”

And the verses that follow.

Allah thus likened the faith and Quran He sends down to water descending into the valleys of the earth, and likened hearts to valleys: some large and some small. As related in the two Sahīh collections from Abū Mūsā, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me are like rain falling upon a land. One part absorbed the water and brought forth abundant grass and vegetation. Another part retained the water, and people used it for watering and drinking. And another part consisted only of