As we have discussed, every action is born out of love and desire, and every inaction or avoidance of action is born out of hate and dislike, and every person is a hammam (worker) and a härith (person with intent) who loves and hates; there is no living person who does not possess these two emotions, and his actions follow his love and his hatred. Then we discussed that some of these affairs are connected to habits and characteristics, and indeed these affairs indicate something: every person needs a religion or a belief that unites them because no one can exist on their own and no one can derive benefits and defend against harm on their own. If they gather together and unite, then they need to all participate in attaining things that will be beneficial to all of them, such as seeking rain to fall, and that is based on their love for that. Likewise, they must participate in repelling harm, such as an enemy, and that comes from their hatred. Over time, this common love and hatred in which they all participate becomes their religion.

This is the case for a common, shared love, but in terms of each person's specific love for food, drink, relations, clothes, etc., then this is a shared love for a type of thing and not a specific thing. In other words, each person cannot seek to benefit from the food, drink, marriage, and clothing that someone else is enjoying; rather, he likes their equivalent types.

The divine affairs are, in reality, the same; for example, the same exact rain that falls in one place cannot fall in another place- it is not the same rain falling, but rather something of the same type. Likewise, the cold wind that chills the body of one person may not be the same wind that chills another. However, the divine affairs occur collectively and universally, so due to this the love and hate for these things are universal and collective, unlike the things connected to actions like food and clothing, as these things may be specific and they may be shared.

Therefore, the things that a people all need must be made compul- sory for them, and the things that cause them harm must be made illegal, so that is their religion. This can only come about by way of agreement among themselves, such as a covenant or a bond.

This is why it was said in a hadith:

لا إيمان لمن لا أمانة له، و لا دين لمن لا عهد له.

Therefore, this is religion in which all of the Sons of Adam are involved: adhering to obligations and prohibitions, which is the fulfillment of the covenant. This religion may be corrupt and invalid if the covenant is more harmful than beneficial, or it could be a true religion if the benefit is specific or dominant.

As Allah, the Most High, said:

 قُلۡ یٰۤاَیُّهَا الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ ۙ﴿۱  قُلۡ یٰۤاَیُّهَا الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ ۙ﴿۱ وَ لَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ عٰبِدُوۡنَ مَاۤ اَعۡبُدُ ۚ﴿۳  وَ لَاۤ اَنَا عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدۡتُّمۡ ۙ﴿۴ وَ لَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ عٰبِدُوۡنَ مَاۤ اَعۡبُدُ ؕ﴿۵  لَکُمۡ دِیۡنُکُمۡ وَلِیَ دِیۡنِ ﴿۶

And He, the Most High, said:

 مَا کَانَ لِیَاۡخُذَ اَخَاهُ فِیۡ دِیۡنِ الۡمَلِکِ

And He, the Most High, said: 

The true religion is obedience and worship for Allah. As I clarified, the religion is habitual obedience that becomes a characteristic so that the one who is obeyed is loved and desired, because the basis of that is al-muhabbah (love) and al-iradah (want, desire).

No one has the right to be worshiped or obeyed unrestrictedly except Allah alone, with no partners, and His Messenger and leaders must be obeyed, because they command obedience to Allah, as the Messenger said in the agreed upon hadith:

مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَمَنْ أَطَاعَ أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَنِي وَمَنْ عَصَى أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ عَصَانِي.

Worship must be for Allah alone with no intercessors, so the slave only worships Allah, as we have clarified many times; and we also clarified that any action that is not done desiring Allah's reward or to worship Him alone is corrupt not righteous, falsehood not truth, and does not benefit those who perform it.

Allah, the Most High, said:

وَ مَاۤ اُمِرُوۡۤا اِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مُخۡلِصِیۡنَ لَهُ الدِّیۡنَ ۬ۙ حُنَفَآءَ وَ یُقِیۡمُوا الصَّلٰوۃَ وَ یُؤۡتُوا الزَّکٰوۃَ وَ ذٰلِکَ دِیۡنُ الۡقَیِّمَۃِ ؕ﴿۵

And He, the Most High, said:

وَ قٰتِلُوۡهُمۡ حَتّٰی لَا تَکُوۡنَ فِتۡنَۃٌ وَّ یَکُوۡنَ الدِّیۡنُ لِلّٰهِ

And He, the Most High, said:

 ذٰلِکَ الدِّیۡنُ الۡقَیِّمُ ۬ۙ فَلَا تَظۡلِمُوۡا فِیۡهِنَّ اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ

And He, the Most High, said:

قُلۡ اِنَّنِیۡ هَدٰىنِیۡ رَبِّیۡۤ اِلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٍ ۬ۚ دِیۡنًا قِیَمًا مِّلَّۃَ اِبۡرٰهِیۡمَ حَنِیۡفًا ۚ وَ مَا کَانَ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِکِیۡنَ ﴿۱۶۱

And He, the Most High, said:

 وَ مَا کَانَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ لِیَنۡفِرُوۡا کَآفَّۃً ؕ فَلَوۡ لَا نَفَرَ مِنۡ کُلِّ فِرۡقَۃٍ مِّنۡهُمۡ طَآئِفَۃٌ لِّیَتَفَقَّهُوۡا فِی الدِّیۡنِ وَ لِیُنۡذِرُوۡا قَوۡمَهُمۡ اِذَا رَجَعُوۡۤا اِلَیۡهِمۡ لَعَلَّهُمۡ یَحۡذَرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۲

And as reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet said:

من يرد الله به خيرا يفقه في الدين.

And Allah, the Most High, said:

وَ لَا یَزَالُوۡنَ یُقَاتِلُوۡنَکُمۡ حَتّٰی یَرُدُّوۡکُمۡ عَنۡ دِیۡنِکُمۡ اِنِ اسۡتَطَاعُوۡا ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّرۡتَدِدۡ مِنۡکُمۡ عَنۡ دِیۡنِهٖ فَیَمُتۡ وَ هُوَ کَافِرٌ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ حَبِطَتۡ اَعۡمَالُهُمۡ فِی الدُّنۡیَا وَ الۡاٰخِرَۃِ ۚ وَ اُولٰٓئِکَ اَصۡحٰبُ النَّارِ ۚ هُمۡ فِیۡهَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ ﴿۲۱۷

And Allah, the Most High, said:

 یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مَنۡ یَّرۡتَدَّ مِنۡکُمۡ عَنۡ دِیۡنِهٖ فَسَوۡفَ یَاۡتِی اللّٰهُ بِقَوۡمٍ یُّحِبُّهُمۡ وَ یُحِبُّوۡنَهٗۤ

It is the true religion, which enjoins worshiping Allah alone with no partners, and obedience to Him and His Messenger. It is Islām, the only religion that Allah accepts, as He, the Most High, said:

اِنَّ الدِّیۡنَ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ الۡاِسۡلَامُ

And His saying:

وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ )

He, the Most High, said:

اَفَغَیۡرَ دِیۡنِ اللّٰهِ یَبۡغُوۡنَ وَ لَهٗۤ اَسۡلَمَ مَنۡ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ طَوۡعًا وَّ کَرۡهًا وَّ اِلَیۡهِ یُرۡجَعُوۡنَ ﴿۸۳

He, the Most High, said:

شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَى أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ كَبُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ اللَّهُ )

And He, the Most High, said:

 اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ فَرَّقُوۡا دِیۡنَهُمۡ وَ کَانُوۡا شِیَعًا لَّسۡتَ مِنۡهُمۡ فِیۡ شَیۡءٍ ؕ اِنَّمَاۤ اَمۡرُهُمۡ اِلَی اللّٰهِ ثُمَّ یُنَبِّئُهُمۡ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَفۡعَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۵۹

So if every human being needs to gather into communities, then every community must have obedience and a religion, and any obedience or religion that is made for other than Allah is null and void. Therefore, every religion other than Islam is null and void.