‘the path of those You have blessed, not those who have incurred Your wrath, nor those who have gone astray,’ He says, ‘These are for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’”

Thus, the middle of the surah is:

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”

Religion, then, consists in worshipping Allah alone and seeking help from Him alone. The angels, the prophets, and all others are servants of Allah. As Allah Most High says:

“The Messiah would never disdain to be a servant of Allah, nor would the angels brought near to Him. Whoever disdains to worship Him and is arrogant—He will gather them all before Him.

“As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, He will give them their rewards in full and grant them more from His bounty. But those who are disdainful and arrogant, He will punish with a painful punishment, and they will find neither protector nor helper besides Allah.”

Love for other than Allah is exemplified by the Christians’ love for the Messiah, the Jews’ love for Moses, the Rāfidah’s love for ‘Alī, and the extremists’ love for their shaykhs and imams. An example is someone who gives his allegiance to a shaykh or imam and turns others away from his counterpart, although the two are close or equal in rank. This is akin to the conduct of the People of the Book who believed in some messengers and disbelieved in others; to that of the Rāfidah, who give their allegiance to some Companions and show hostility towards others; and to that of partisans among those associated with jurisprudence and asceticism, who give their allegiance to some shaykhs and imams but not others. The true believer, however, is one who gives his allegiance to all people of faith.

Allah Most High says:

“The believers are but brothers.”

The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“One believer is to another like a building, each part strengthening the other”—and he interlaced his fingers.

And he said: “The likeness of