He thus made tasting the flavor of faith dependent upon being pleased with these foundational principles, just as he made spiritual joy dependent upon love. This was so that he—may Allah Most High bless him and grant him peace—might distinguish, in matters of spiritual taste and joy—which underlie outward deeds and are the fruit of inward deeds—between what Allah and His Messenger commanded and other things. As Sahl ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Tustarī said:

“Any spiritual joy unsupported by the Quran and Sunnah is false.”

For everyone who loves something experiences a taste corresponding to that love. Hence Allah Most High challenged those claiming to love Him with His words:

“If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.”

Al-Hasan al-Basrī said: “Some people in the time of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah Most High bless him and grant him peace—claimed that they loved Allah, so He challenged them with this verse.” Thus, He made the servant’s love for Allah entail following His Messenger, and made following His Messenger entail the Lord’s love for His servant.

He described those who love Him in His words:

“Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble toward the believers, mighty against the disbelievers, striving in the cause of Allah and fearing no blame from any critic.”

He thus described those who love Him and are loved by Him with the same perfection with which He described His Messenger: combining the qualities of majesty and beauty that were separated in the two religions before ours. These are firmness and might against Allah’s enemies, and humility and mercy toward the allies of Allah and His Messenger.

Yet many people experience spiritual joy and a love that is merely general and unrestricted, as one of their leading figures described such a person:

“Driven from his homeland … banished from his dwelling