do those who commit evil deeds think that We will make them like those who believe and do righteous deeds, equal in their life and death? How evil is their judgment!”

And the Exalted says:

“The blind and the seeing are not equal, nor are those who believe and do righteous deeds equal to those who do evil. How little you take heed!”

Thus, the position of the early generations of this community and its leading scholars was that Allah is the Creator, Lord, and Sovereign of everything. Whatever He wills occurs, and whatever He does not will does not occur. There is no Lord besides Him. Nevertheless, He commands obedience and forbids disobedience. He does not love corruption, does not approve of disbelief for His servants, and does not command indecency. Although it occurs by His will, He neither loves nor approves of it; rather, He hates it, censures those who commit it, and punishes them.

As for the “third rank”—in which one witnesses neither obedience nor disobedience—a person at this rank regards existence as one. They consider this the ultimate realization and friendship with Allah. In reality, however, it is the utmost deviation concerning Allah’s names and signs, and the utmost enmity towards Allah. For whoever adopts this perspective takes Jews, Christians, and all other disbelievers as allies, whereas the Exalted has said:

“Whoever among you takes them as allies is indeed one of them.”

He does not disavow polytheism and idols, and thus departs from the religion of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. Allah the Exalted says:

“You have an excellent example in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, ‘We disown you and whatever you worship besides Allah. We reject you, and enmity and hatred have arisen between us and you forever, until you believe in Allah alone.’”

And Allah’s intimate friend said—upon him