their avoidance, for it is impossible for a servant—out of deliberate intent, worship, and devotion—to refrain from something he does not know until he first learns it and can distinguish it from other things.

Likewise, the command to wage jihad and the encouragement to undertake it necessarily include a command for everything without which jihad cannot be accomplished: learning marksmanship with every projectile weapon, riding every mount, and producing its equipment and industries. All of this is explicitly embraced by His words, “And prepare against them whatever force you can muster” (Q 8:60), for the verse covers every kind of power—intellectual and physical, political, industrial, financial, and the like.

Similarly, Allah called the people of knowledge to bear witness to His oneness, joining their testimony to His own and to that of His angels. This demonstrates their integrity and shows that they stand as a proof from Allah against those who deny the truth, just like His signs and evidences.

In the same spirit is the petition of the servants of the All-Merciful when they ask their Lord to make them leaders for the God-fearing. Their request implicitly asks Allah for everything that brings about leadership in the religion—lofty sciences and profound knowledge, righteous deeds and virtuous character—for when a servant asks his Lord for something, he is also asking for whatever is indispensable to it. Thus, when one asks Allah for Paradise and seeks refuge from the Fire, he is, by implication, asking for all that draws him near to Paradise and distances him from the Fire.

Allah has likewise commanded both personal rectitude and social reform, praised the reformers, and declared that He will not set right the deeds of the corrupters. From this we infer that every matter that benefits people in their religion and worldly life, and every means that helps to achieve that benefit, falls under Allah’s command and encouragement; whereas every kind of corruption, harm, or evil falls under His prohibition and warning. Therefore, a person must, according to his ability, secure everything that leads to rectitude and reform, just as Shuʿayb (peace be upon him) said, “I desire nothing but reform to the best of my ability” (Q 11:88).

Another example is His statement, “Give good tidings to the believers” (Q 33:47) and “Urge the believers to fight” (Q 8:65); these directives imply a command for everything without which