and elsewhere revolves entirely around this. At times, he likens its moving the celestial sphere to the beloved’s moving the lover. Yet in this case, the lover may be moved by love for the beloved himself or by some benefit he obtains from him. According to them, the celestial sphere’s movement is not like this. Rather, it moves to resemble the first cause. Thus, it loves that cause—that is, it loves to resemble it; it neither desires to worship it nor desires anything obtained from it.

Aristotle likens this to the way laws move their followers: those who follow a legal code act according to its provisions and take it as their model. By a legal code, they mean the comprehensive system of governance for cities devised by people of sound judgment and intellect for their worldly welfare, so that they do not wrong one another and their worldly affairs do not fall into disorder. Those among them who know of prophethood suppose that the laws brought by the prophets are of the same kind as their own legal codes, and that their purpose is worldly welfare through the establishment of a just legal code.

For this reason, Ibn Sīnā and others like him held prophethood to be necessary, considering it indispensable for establishing this legal code. Since practical philosophy, in their view, comprises ethics, household management, and politics, they classified the acts of worship, religious laws, and rulings brought by the messengers as belonging to these same branches of practical philosophy.

These people do not know Allah; indeed, they are far more removed from knowing Him than the unbelievers among the Jews and Christians. Aristotle, the First Teacher, was among those most profoundly ignorant of the Lord of all worlds. They do, however, possess a good knowledge of natural matters. This is where their knowledge is vast, and to this they have devoted themselves