They have erred concerning both the servant and the Lord.

As regards the servant, their position requires him to regard all occurrences alike. This is unquestionably impossible. They may experience states in which they lose awareness of most things. But losing awareness of everything is impossible, for every living being must distinguish between what causes it pain and what gives it pleasure. Thus, it distinguishes between bread and dust, and between water and other drinks.

These people have discarded the distinction established by the revealed Law, grounded in faith and ordained by the Most Merciful—the distinction by which Allah differentiates His allies from His enemies. They imagine that they maintain an all-encompassing view of divine decree.

Accordingly, it is inherently impossible for the servant to regard all occurrences alike. Rather, he must make distinctions. If he does not distinguish according to the revealed Law—between what Allah loves and what He hates, and between what pleases Him and what angers Him—then he will distinguish according to his natural inclinations, following his desires and his devil. He will therefore love whatever his soul desires and whatever his devil commands.

Consequently, many of them have fallen into sins, others into flagrant disobedience, and still others into disbelief, to the point of permitting the worship of idols. Many of them then go on to profess the unity of existence. These are the ones who opposed