with wisdom, while whoever gives his own desires authority over himself [in word and deed](1) will give voice to innovation; for Allah Most High says, ‘If you obey him, you will be guided’ [Surah al-Nūr: 54].”

Some of them said:

“No one abandons any part of the Sunnah except because of pride within himself.”

It is as they said. For if a person does not follow the command brought by the Messenger, he acts according to his own will and thus follows his desires without guidance from Allah. In this way, he lives for his lower self, and that is a form of arrogance; for such arrogance is an offshoot(2) of the words of those who said: “We will never believe until we are given the like of what Allah’s messengers were given” [Surah al-Anām: 124].

Many of these people believe that, through spiritual discipline, striving in worship, and purifying themselves, they can attain what the prophets attained without following their path(3). Among them are groups who believe that they have become superior to the prophets and that the friend of Allah(4) whom they presume to be the true friend of Allah is superior to the prophets. Among them(5) are those who say that the prophets and messengers receive their knowledge of Allah only from the lamp niche of the Seal of the Saints, while each such person claims that he himself is the Seal of the Saints.

Such knowledge is, in reality, nothing but Pharaoh’s assertion: “Indeed, this