stability. Whoever possesses a good word with a firm root has a branch reaching into heaven that connects him to Allah. For, as He, glorified is He, says:

“To Him ascend good words, and righteous deeds raise them.”

Whoever lacks a firm root is denied attainment because he has neglected the foundations. This is why you find that those given to religious innovations and doubts reach no praiseworthy end. As Allah Most High says:

“To Him belongs the true supplication. Those whom they invoke besides Him do not respond to them at all. They are only like someone stretching out his hands towards water for it to reach his mouth, but it will never reach it. The supplication of the disbelievers is nothing but futile wandering.”

Allah, glorified is He, sent the messengers and revealed the Scriptures so that He alone would be worshipped, without any partner, and worshipped only as He commanded through His messengers. The foundation of worshipping Him is knowing Him through His descriptions of Himself in His Book and His messengers’ descriptions of Him. Thus, the way of the early generations was to describe Allah as He described Himself and as His messengers described Him, without distortion or negation, and without specifying how His attributes are or likening them to those of creation. Those who deny any of this have not esteemed Allah as He deserves, known Him as He deserves to be known, described Him as He deserves to be described, or worshipped Him as He deserves to be worshipped.

Allah, glorified is He, has mentioned this statement:

“They have not esteemed Allah as He deserves,”

in three places, to affirm His own greatness and the attributes that are His due; to affirm His oneness and that none but Him deserves worship; and to affirm what He revealed to