upon them. Thus, He commanded them to do what benefits them and forbade them what harms them. Sending messengers and revealing scriptures are among His greatest blessings upon His creation, as He says:

“We have sent you only as a mercy to the worlds.”

And He Most High says:

“Allah has certainly bestowed a favour upon the believers by raising among them a messenger from among themselves.”

And He says:

“O mankind, there has come to you an admonition from your Lord, a healing for what is in the hearts, and guidance and mercy for the believers.”

“Say, ‘In Allah’s bounty and mercy—in these let them rejoice.’”

Whoever Allah blesses with obedience, in addition to giving him the command, has received His blessing in full, as He says:

“Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My blessing upon you.”

These are the believers. But whoever He does not bless with obedience, instead leaving him without His aid until he disbelieves and disobeys, has fallen into misery because he exchanged Allah’s blessing for disbelief, as He says:

“Have you not seen those who exchanged Allah’s blessing for disbelief and brought their people into the abode of ruin?”

Since the commands and prohibitions of the revealed law are a universal blessing and mercy, the fact that some people—the disbelievers—do not benefit from them does not detract from this. Likewise, sending down rain and causing sustenance to grow is a universal blessing, even if some people are harmed by it for another wise purpose. Similarly, His willing whatever He wills of created things—their individual beings and their actions—does not entail that He loves everything among them.

When He gives a servant a command, this provides guidance and direction. If the servant carries out what he is commanded, he becomes beloved to Allah; otherwise, he is not beloved to Him, even though Allah wills his existence, His willing him into existence being for another purpose. Bringing into existence is therefore distinct from prescribing religious law.

(If it is said, “Love and approval entail compatibility and affinity between the one who loves