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The words of Allah Most High are of “two kinds”: words governing creation and words concerning religion.

His words governing creation are those in which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sought refuge when he said:

“I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah, beyond which neither the righteous nor the wicked can pass.”

He, glorified is He, said:

“His command, when He wills a thing, is only to say to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.”

And He Most High said:

“And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and justice.”

The entire universe falls under these words, as do all extraordinary occurrences involving disclosure and the exercise of power.

“The second kind” consists of His words concerning religion: the Quran and the divine law with which Allah sent His Messenger. These comprise His commands, prohibitions, and statements. The servant’s share in them consists in knowing them, acting upon them, and enjoining what Allah has commanded, just as the servant’s share in the first kind, in general and in particular, consists in knowing created things and affecting them—that is, in accordance with those words.

The first kind thus pertains to divine decree and creation, while the second pertains to divine law and religion. Disclosure in the first sphere consists in knowing events in creation; disclosure in the second consists in knowing the commands of divine law. Power in the first sphere consists in bringing about effects in created things; power in the second consists in bringing about effects in religious matters. And just as