For this reason, when al-Junayd was asked about tawhīd (affirming Allah’s oneness), he replied: “Tawhīd means distinguishing what has a beginning from what is beginningless.” He thus explained that what has been brought into existence must be distinguished from the Beginningless.

For this reason, the leading scholars of the Muslims agreed that the Creator is distinct from His creatures: nothing of His essence is within His creatures, nor is anything of His creatures within His essence. Rather, the Lord is the Lord, and the servant is the servant:

“There is no one in the heavens and earth but that he comes to the Most Merciful as a servant.”

“He has certainly counted them and numbered them precisely.”

“And all of them are coming to Him on the Day of Resurrection alone.”

If, however, the speaker of this verse meant union in attributes)—that is, that the servant loves what Allah loves, hates what Allah hates, is pleased with what pleases Allah, is angered by what angers Allah, commands what Allah commands, forbids what Allah forbids, takes as allies those whom Allah takes as allies, takes as enemies those whom Allah takes as enemies, loves for Allah’s sake, hates for Allah’s sake, gives for Allah’s sake, and withholds for Allah’s sake, so that he is in accord with his Lord Most High—then this meaning is true. It is the very essence and perfection of faith, as in the hadith narrated by al-Bukhārī from Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said:

“Allah Most High says: ‘Whoever shows enmity toward a friend of Mine has challenged Me to war. Nothing by which My servant draws near to Me compares with fulfilling what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me through voluntary acts of worship until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Through Me he hears, through Me he sees, through Me he strikes, and through Me he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give to him; and if he seeks refuge with Me, I will surely grant him refuge. I have never hesitated over