THE PRINCIPLE OF LOVE & DESIRE: A Belief System & ‍a Shari'ah are most important for every Religion.

Every din, obedience, and muhabbah must have two things: The first is that the religion is beloved and obeyed, and this is the objec- tive and the intent. Secondly, the form of the actions of obedience and worship, and this is the path, the way, the shari'ah, the method- ology. As Fuḍayl bin 'Iyad said about Allah's saying:

لِیَبۡلُوَکُمۡ اَیُّکُمۡ اَحۡسَنُ عَمَلًا

He said, "The most sincere and the most correct," so he was asked "O Abu 'Ali, what is the most sincere and correct?" He said, "If an action is done sincerely, but not correctly, it is not accepted. If an action is correct but not done with sincerity, it is not accepted. Only once the action is sincere and correct will it be accepted. It is sincere when it is for Allah alone, and it is correct when it conforms to the Sunnah."

In this way, the religion joins these two things: al-ma'bud (the one worshiped) and al-'ibadah (the worship). The one worshiped is the one true God and worship is obedience to Him and His Messenger this is the religion that is pleasing to Allah, just as He, the Most High, said:

 وَ رَضِیۡتُ لَکُمُ الۡاِسۡلَامَ دِیۡنًا

It is the religion of the first and the last of the believers, and it is the only religion that Allah accepts, because anything else is corrupt and false, such as the person who worships someone who does not have the right to be worshiped (shirk), or a person who worships Him with a form of worship that is incorrect (bid'ah).

And He, the Most High, said:

لِکُلِّ اُمَّۃٍ جَعَلۡنَا مَنۡسَکًا هُمۡ نَاسِکُوۡهُ فَلَا یُنَازِعُنَّکَ فِی الۡاَمۡرِ وَ ادۡعُ اِلٰی رَبِّکَ ؕ اِنَّکَ لَعَلٰی هُدًی مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٍ ﴿۶۷

And He, the Most High, said:

 وَ لِکُلِّ اُمَّۃٍ جَعَلۡنَا مَنۡسَکًا لِّیَذۡکُرُوا اسۡمَ اللّٰهِ عَلٰی مَا رَزَقَهُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَهِیۡمَۃِ الۡاَنۡعَامِ ؕ فَاِلٰـهُکُمۡ اِلٰهٌ وَّاحِدٌ فَلَهٗۤ اَسۡلِمُوۡا ؕ وَ بَشِّرِ الۡمُخۡبِتِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۳۴

And He, the Most High, said:

 وَ لِکُلٍّ وِّجۡهَۃٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّیۡهَا فَاسۡتَبِقُوا الۡخَیۡرٰتِ ؕ؃ اَیۡنَ مَا تَکُوۡنُوۡا یَاۡتِ بِکُمُ اللّٰهُ جَمِیۡعًا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ ﴿۱۴۸

Our shari'ah presents these two fundamental concepts (al-ma'bud and al-'ibadah) in a number of different ways: they are presented in all His beautiful names and attributes, and they are presented in the various forms of worship. The first concept includes His names and attributes related to the Day of Judgment and the promise or threat of the Hereafter.

These are the three fundamental principles: belief in Allah, belief in the Last Day, and performing righteous actions; these lead to happiness whatever the creed, as He, the Most High, said:

 اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ الَّذِیۡنَ هَادُوۡا وَ النَّصٰرٰی وَ الصّٰبِئِیۡنَ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَ الۡیَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَهُمۡ اَجۡرُهُمۡ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهِمۡ ۪ۚ وَ لَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَیۡهِمۡ وَ لَا هُمۡ یَحۡزَنُوۡنَ ﴿۶۲

The shari'ah is what the messengers brought and it is the fourth fundamental principle.

These four fundamental principles are intrinsically connected, so differing over some of their commands and prohibitions in these matters is the type of differing that the Book and the Sunnah admonishes.

He, the Most High, said:

وَ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اخۡتَلَفُوۡا فِی الۡکِتٰبِ لَفِیۡ شِقَاقٍۭ بَعِیۡدٍ

He, the Most High, said:

 اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ فَرَّقُوۡا دِیۡنَهُمۡ وَ کَانُوۡا شِیَعًا لَّسۡتَ مِنۡهُمۡ فِیۡ شَیۡءٍ

And He, the Most High, said:

 وَ لَا تَکُوۡنُوۡا کَالَّذِیۡنَ تَفَرَّقُوۡا وَ اخۡتَلَفُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ الۡبَیِّنٰتُ ؕ وَ اُولٰٓئِکَ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ عَظِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۰۵

Because of this, the Prophet was angered when some of the Şahabah differed regarding the readings of the Qur'an. He said:

كِلاكُمَا مُحْسِنٌ.

And he said:

إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ أُنْزِلَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ فَاقْرَءُوا مِنْهُ مَا تَيَسَّرَ.

He also became angry when they differed regarding the qadr and when they began to compare between seemingly opposing verses, which would lead to the affirmation of belief for some while negat- ing it for others.

This disunity and differing obligates shirk and contradicts the reality of tawhid, which is making the religion sincerely for Allāh, just as He, the Most High, said:

فَاَقِمۡ وَجۡهَکَ لِلدِّیۡنِ حَنِیۡفًا ؕ

 مُنِیۡبِیۡنَ اِلَیۡهِ وَ اتَّقُوۡهُ وَ اَقِیۡمُوا الصَّلٰوۃَ وَ لَا تَکُوۡنُوۡا مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِکِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۳۱  مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ فَرَّقُوۡا دِیۡنَهُمۡ وَ کَانُوۡا شِیَعًا ؕ کُلُّ حِزۡبٍۭ بِمَا لَدَیۡهِمۡ فَرِحُوۡنَ ﴿۳۲

Hence, performing the religion sincerely and worshiping Allah alone without partners joins iman (faith) to everything Allah has commanded and informed us of.

Then He, the Most High, said: "And be not of al-mushrikun, those who split up their religion, and became sects," and that is because if the religion is for Allah alone, then iman and obedience is to everything that He revealed and sent the messengers with, and this combines every truth and every truth is gathered upon it.

In the hearts of the Sons of Adam, there is love and desire for what they worship, and that is a purification and rectification for their hearts and souls, just as they love and desire food and relationships, by which their lives are rectified. However, their need for worship- ing is greater than their need for nourishment, because if they don't have nourishment their bodies will be harmed, but without worship their souls will be ruined, and the souls can only be saved by worshiping Allah alone without partners. This is the fitrah upon which Allah created us all, as the Prophet said:

مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ إِلا يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ، فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُمَحِسَانِهِ .

And in Sahih Muslim from the hadith of 'Iyad bin Hammar, the Prophet said that Allah said:

إِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ كُلَّهُمْ وَإِنَّهُمْ أَتَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجْتَالَتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ لَهُمْ وَأَمَرَتْهُمْ أَنْ يُشْرِكُوا بِي مَا لَمْ أُنْزِلْبِهِ سُلْطَانًا.

However, most of the shirk perpetrated by the Sons of Adam is by making up another deity to worship besides Allah, and there are many people who do this in different ways.

So every community from among mankind became in need of a religion of some sort due to these two reasons:

1) Their souls' need and inclination to worship the one whom they love and seek, because he can bring both benefit and harm.

2) The need to adhere to the things in society that are loved and needed and to protect oneself from harm.

This love is religious love, which is love of the religion to which one adheres, whether it is truth or falsehood, and love of anything that is connected to or leads to that religion.