alone, with no partner, or worshipping rivals, as do those who take rivals besides Allah and love them as they love Allah; or takes a form other than worship, such as love for brothers, children, women, homelands, and other created things.

The faith of the believer who believes in Allah with his heart and bodily faculties encompasses both his heart’s knowledge and its state: the heart’s affirmation and submission. It also encompasses the words of his tongue and the actions of his bodily faculties. Although the foundation of faith is what is in the heart, or what is in the heart and on the tongue, his heart must affirm Allah and submit to Him. The former is the heart’s speech, and the latter is the heart’s action; this constitutes acknowledgment of Allah.

Knowledge precedes action, perception precedes movement, affirmation precedes submission, and knowledge precedes love, even though the two go hand in hand. Yet the heart’s knowledge necessarily gives rise to its action unless an opposing factor outweighs it, and its action entails its affirmation: neither voluntary movement nor love can arise without awareness. Movement and love, however, may be corrupt if awareness and perception are unsound.

Umar ibn Abd al-Azīz said:

“Whoever worships Allah without knowledge does more harm than good.”

As for righteous inward and outward action, it can arise only from knowledge. This is why Allah and His Messenger commanded worshipping Allah, turning to Him in repentance, devoting religion sincerely to Him, and similar things. These terms encompass both knowledge and action: the heart’s knowledge and its state, though the words of the tongue and the actions of the bodily faculties are also included. The presence of sound branches necessarily entails the presence of their roots. This is clear, and the purpose here is not to elaborate upon it; rather, the purpose is (1).