Thus, for him, what is lawful is what Allah and His Messenger have made lawful; what is forbidden is what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden; and religion is what Allah and His Messenger have prescribed. The other person, by contrast, does not look to the Messenger for the commands and prohibitions he receives inwardly, or for what he does and commands others to do.

This type is common among shaykhs concerned with the heart and spiritual states whose knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and adherence to the Messenger are weak. They are dominated by what they find in their hearts and the commands they receive inwardly, whether these agree with the Messenger or contradict him.

They vary in this according to their closeness to the Messenger or their distance from him. Many have strayed so far from him that they see fit to help the unbelievers fight the Muslims, believing that Allah, glorified be He, has commanded them to do so. They also believe that Ahl al-Suffa (the People of the Portico) did this. Some hold that the Messenger was not sent to them and their like, but only to ordinary people. Others believe that the Messenger was subordinate to Ahl al-Suffa, while they had no need of him. There are other such types, who have become numerous in these times.