THE PRINCIPLE OF LOVE & DESIRE: Wicked & Good Deeds

The believer should know the reality of wicked deeds and their levels in the Qur'an and Sunnah, just as he knows about the reality of good deeds and their levels. He must differentiate between the rulings of universal occurrences and what is wanted in the Qur'an and Sunnah so that one may prioritize that which is of optimal good and minimal evil, and to repel the greater of two evils to deal with the lesser of the two, and to obtain the greater of two goods to sacrifice the lesser of the two. Because the one who does not know the realities of the creation or the duties of the religion does not know Allah's rulings concerning His slaves, and if he does not know that, then his speech and actions are based on ignorance, and those who worship Allah without knowledge cause more harm than good.

If a person knows the reality of good and bad, then he must pair that knowledge with action that is based on love for what Allah and His Messenger love, and hate for what Allah and His Messenger hate. If something contains both what is loved and what is hated, what is commanded and what is forbidden, what is permissible and what is impermissible, then one must give everything its due right, and this is why Allah revealed the Book and sent the Messenger; therefore, knowledge of justice must come before acting with justice.

The completeness of this knowledge and love is by striving for it, as He the Most High said:

Knowledge is the path and the means for action, as is said concern- ing Allah's saying:

Knowledge of good is a cause to do good, and knowledge of bad is a means to prevent it, if this is with good intention; otherwise, knowledge of bad for a soul built upon bad could be a cause to do bad, and knowledge of good could be a means to prevent it. Likewise, sins and oppression, such as alcohol made from a form of intoxicant and given another name, but the reality is that it is still alcohol.

Likewise, oppressing people and their money and honor, and calling it truth, fairness, legislated, and striving in the way of Allah, but it is actually disbelief, sin, and disobedience, and only Allah can enumerate the extent of the bad deeds.

Likewise, shirk and speaking about Allah without knowledge, like the types of extremism in the religion; the taking of scholars and pious men as lords besides Allah; making the haram halal and the halal haram; the worship of the creation besides Allah-worship- ing them, seeking their aid, and going to extremes with them; and speaking about the names and attributes of Allah and His rulings and mixing that with falsehoods, and giving these things praise- worthy names, such as "worship," "abstinence," "foundations of the religion," "figh," "knowledge," "tawhid," "rhetoric," "poverty," and "Sufism," that which is only comprehended by Allah.