2:165 Al-Baqara (The Cow)

ما أحسن اتصال هذه الآية بما قبلها، فإنه تعالى, لما بين وحدانيته وأدلتها القاطعة, وبراهينها الساطعة الموصلة إلى علم اليقين, المزيلة لكل شك، ذكر هنا أن { مِنَ النَّاسِ } مع هذا البيان التام من يتخذ من المخلوقين أندادا لله أي: نظراء ومثلاء, يساويهم في الله بالعبادة والمحبة, والتعظيم والطاعة. ومن كان بهذه الحالة - بعد إقامة الحجة, وبيان التوحيد - علم أنه معاند لله, مشاق له, أو معرض عن تدبر آياته والتفكر في مخلوقاته, فليس له أدنى عذر في ذلك, بل قد حقت عليه كلمة العذاب. وهؤلاء الذين يتخذون الأنداد مع الله, لا يسوونهم بالله في الخلق والرزق والتدبير, وإنما يسوونهم به في العبادة, فيعبدونهم، ليقربوهم إليه، وفي قوله: { اتخذوا } دليل على أنه ليس لله ند وإنما المشركون جعلوا بعض المخلوقات أندادا له, تسمية مجردة, ولفظا فارغا من المعنى، كما قال تعالى: { وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ قُلْ سَمُّوهُمْ أَمْ تُنَبِّئُونَهُ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَمْ بِظَاهِرٍ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ } { إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءٌ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ } فالمخلوق ليس ندا لله لأن الله هو الخالق, وغيره مخلوق, والرب الرازق ومن عداه مرزوق, والله هو الغني وأنتم الفقراء، وهو الكامل من كل الوجوه, والعبيد ناقصون من جميع الوجوه، والله هو النافع الضار, والمخلوق ليس له من النفع والضر والأمر شيء، فعلم علما يقينا, بطلان قول من اتخذ من دون الله آلهة وأندادا، سواء كان ملكا أو نبيا, أو صالحا, صنما, أو غير ذلك، وأن الله هو المستحق للمحبة الكاملة, والذل التام، فلهذا مدح الله المؤمنين بقوله: { وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ } أي: من أهل الأنداد لأندادهم, لأنهم أخلصوا محبتهم له, وهؤلاء أشركوا بها، ولأنهم أحبوا من يستحق المحبة على الحقيقة, الذي محبته هي عين صلاح العبد وسعادته وفوزه، والمشركون أحبوا من لا يستحق من الحب شيئا, ومحبته عين شقاء العبد وفساده, وتشتت أمره. فلهذا توعدهم الله بقوله: { وَلَوْ يَرَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا } باتخاذ الأنداد والانقياد لغير رب العباد وظلموا الخلق بصدهم عن سبيل الله, وسعيهم فيما يضرهم. { إِذْ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ } أي: يوم القيامة عيانا بأبصارهم، { أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعَذَابِ } أي: لعلموا علما جازما, أن القوة والقدرة لله كلها, وأن أندادهم ليس فيها من القوة شيء، فتبين لهم في ذلك اليوم ضعفها وعجزها, لا كما اشتبه عليهم في الدنيا, وظنوا أن لها من الأمر شيئا, وأنها تقربهم إليه وتوصلهم إليه، فخاب ظنهم, وبطل سعيهم, وحق عليهم شدة العذاب, ولم تدفع عنهم أندادهم شيئا, ولم تغن عنهم مثقال ذرة من النفع، بل يحصل لهم الضرر منها, من حيث ظنوا نفعها. وتبرأ المتبوعون من التابعين, وتقطعت بينهم الوصل, التي كانت في الدنيا, لأنها كانت لغير الله, وعلى غير أمر الله, ومتعلقة بالباطل الذي لا حقيقة له, فاضمحلت أعمالهم, وتلاشت أحوالهم، وتبين لهم أنهم كانوا كاذبين, وأن أعمالهم التي يؤملون نفعها وحصول نتيجتها, انقلبت عليهم حسرة وندامة, وأنهم خالدون في النار لا يخرجون منها أبدا، فهل بعد هذا الخسران خسران؟ ذلك بأنهم اتبعوا الباطل، فعملوا العمل الباطل ورجوا غير مرجو, وتعلقوا بغير متعلق, فبطلت الأعمال ببطلان متعلقها، ولما بطلت وقعت الحسرة بما فاتهم من الأمل فيها, فضرتهم غاية الضرر، وهذا بخلاف من تعلق بالله الملك الحق المبين, وأخلص العمل لوجهه, ورجا نفعه، فهذا قد وضع الحق في موضعه, فكانت أعماله حقا, لتعلقها بالحق, ففاز بنتيجة عمله, ووجد جزاءه عند ربه, غير منقطع كما قال تعالى: { الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَضَلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَآمَنُوا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَأَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْبَاطِلَ وَأَنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْحَقَّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ كَذَلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ أَمْثَالَهُمْ } وحينئذ يتمنى التابعون أن يردوا إلى الدنيا فيتبرأوا من متبوعيهم, بأن يتركوا الشرك بالله, ويقبلوا على إخلاص العمل لله، وهيهات, فات الأمر, وليس الوقت وقت إمهال وإنظار، ومع هذا, فهم كذبة, فلو ردوا لعادوا لما نهوا عنه، وإنما هو قول يقولونه, وأماني يتمنونها, حنقا وغيظا على المتبوعين لما تبرأوا منهم والذنب ذنبهم، فرأس المتبوعين على الشر, إبليس, ومع هذا يقول لأتباعه لما قضي الأمر { إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدْتُكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ وَمَا كَانَ لِي عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا أَنْ دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي فَلَا تَلُومُونِي وَلُومُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ }

يذكر تعالى حال المشركين به في الدنيا وما لهم في الدار الآخرة حيث جعلوا له أندادا أي أمثالا ونظراء يعبدونهم معه ويحبونهم كحبه هو الله لا إله إلا هو ولا ضد له ولا ند له ولا شريك معه. وفي الصحيحين عن عبدالله بن مسعود قال: قلت يا رسول الله أي الذنب أعظم؟ قال "أن تجعل لله ندا وهو خلقك" وقوله "والذين آمنوا أشد حبا لله" ولحبهم لله وتمام معرفتهم به وتوقيرهم وتوحيدهم له لا يشركون به شيئا بل يعبدونه وحده ويتوكلون عليه ويلجئون في جميع أمورهم إليه. ثم توعد تعالى المشركين به الظالمين لأنفسهم بذلك فقال "ولو يرى الذين ظلموا إذ يرون العذاب أن القوة لله جميعا" قال بعضهم تقدير الكلام لو عاينوا العذاب لعلموا حينئذ أن القوة لله جميعا أي أن الحكم له وحده لا شريك له وأن جميع الأشياء تحت قهره وغلبته وسلطانه "وأن الله شديد العذاب" كما قال "فيومئذ لا يعذب عذابه أحد ولا يوثق وثاقه أحد" يقول لو يعلمون ما يعاينونه هنالك وما يحل بهم من الأمر الفظيع المنكر الهائل على شركهم وكفرهم لانتهوا عما هم فيه من الضلال ثم أخبر عن كفرهم بأوثانهم وترى المتبوعين من التابعين فقال "إذ تبرأ الذين اتبعوا من الذين اتبعوا" تبرأت منهم الملائكة الذين كانوا يزعمون أنهم يعبدونهم في الدار الدنيا فتقول الملائكة "تبرأنا إليك ما كانوا إيانا يعبدون" ويقولون "سبحانك أنت ولينا من دونهم بل كانوا يعبدون الجن أكثرهم بهم مؤمنون" والجن أيضا تتبرأ منهم ويتنصلون من عبادتهم لهم كما قال تعالى "ومن أضل ممن يدعو من دون الله من لا يستجيب له إلى يوم القيامة وهم عن دعائهم غافلون وإذا حشر الناس كانوا لهم أعداء وكانوا بعبادتهم كافرين" وقال تعالى "واتخذوا من دون الله آلهة ليكونوا لهم عزا كلا سيكفرون بعبادتهم ويكونون عليهم ضدا" وقال الخليل لقومه "إنما اتخذتم من دون الله أوثانا مودة بينكم فى الحياة الدنيا ثم يوم القيامة يكفر بعضكم ببعض ويلعن بعضكم بعضا ومأواكم النار ومالكم من ناصرين" وقال تعالى "ولو نرى إذ الظالمون موقوفون عند ربهم يرجع بعضهم إلى بعض القول يقول الذين استضعفوا للذين استكبروا لولا أنتم لكنا مؤمنين قال الذين استكبروا للذين استضعفوا أنحن صددناكم عن الهدى بعد إذ جاءكم بل كنتم مجرمين وقال الذين استضعفوا للذين استكبروا بل مكر الليل والنهار إذ تأمروننا أن نكفر بالله ونجعل له أندادا وأسروا الندامة لما رأوا العذاب وجعلنا الأغلال في أعناق الذين كفروا هل يجزون إلا ما كانوا يعملون" وقال تعالى "وقال الشيطان لما قضي الأمر إن الله وعدكم وعد الحق ووعدتكم فأخلفتكم وما كان لى عليكم من سلطان إلا أن دعوتكم فاستجبتم لي فلا تلومونى ولوموا أنفسكم ما أنا بمصرخكم وما أنتم بمصرخي إني كفرت بما أشركتموني من قبل إن الظالمين لهم عذاب أليم" وقوله "ورأوا العذاب وتقطعت بهم الأسباب" أي عاينوا عذاب الله وتقطعت بهم الحيل وأسباب الخلاص ولم يجدوا عن النار معدلا ولا مصرفا. قال عطاء عن ابن عباس "وتقطعت بهم الأسباب" قال المودة: وكذا قال مجاهد فى رواية ابن أبي نجيح.

The Condition of the Polytheists in this Life and the Hereafter

In these Ayat, Allah mentions the condition of the polytheists in this life and their destination in the Hereafter. They appointed equals and rivals with Allah, worshipping them along with Allah and loving them, just as they love Allah. However, Allah is the only deity worthy of worship, Who has neither rival nor opponent nor partner. It is reported in the Sahihayn that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said: I said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! What is the greatest sin" He said:

«أَنْ تَجْعَلَ للهِ نِدًّا وَهُوَ خَلَقَك»

(To appoint a rival to Allah while He Alone has created you.)

Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ

(But those who believe, love Allah more (than anything else))

Because these believers love Allah, know His greatness, revere Him, believe in His Oneness, then they do not associate anything or anyone with Him in the worship. Rather, they worship Him Alone, depend on Him and they seek help from Him for each and every need.

Then, Allah warns those who commit Shirk,

وَلَوْ يَرَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ إِذْ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا

(If only, those who do wrong could see, when they will see the torment, that all power belongs to Allah.) if these people knew what they will face and the terrible punishment they are to suffer because of their disbelief and Shirk (polytheism), then they would shun the deviation that they live by.

Allah mentions their false beliefs in their idols, and that those they followed will declare their innocence of them. Allah said:

إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ

(When those who were followed disown (declare themselves innocent of) those who followed (them).) the angels, whom they used to claim that they worshipped, declare their innocence of them in the Hereafter, saying:

تَبَرَّأْنَآ إِلَيْكَ مَا كَانُواْ إِيَّانَا يَعْبُدُونَ

(We declare our innocence (from them) before You. It was not us they worshipped.) (28:63), and:

سُبْحَـنَكَ أَنتَ وَلِيُّنَا مِن دُونِهِمْ بَلْ كَانُواْ يَعْبُدُونَ الْجِنَّ أَكْـثَرُهُم بِهِم مُّؤْمِنُونَ

("Glorified be You! You are our Wali (Lord) instead of them. Nay, but they used to worship the Jinn; most of them were believers in them.") (34:4)

The Jinn will also disown the disbelievers who worshipped them, and they will reject that worship. Allah said:

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّن يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَن لاَّ يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَهُمْ عَن دُعَآئِهِمْ غَـفِلُونَ - وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُواْ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَكَانُواْ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَـفِرِينَ

(And who is more astray than one who calls on (invokes) besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them And when mankind are gathered (on the Day of Resurrection), they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) (46:5, 6) Allah said:

وَاتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ ءالِهَةً لِّيَكُونُواْ لَهُمْ عِزّاً

كَلاَّ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَـدَتِهِمْ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(And they have taken (for worship) alihah (gods) besides Allah, that they might give them honor, power and glory (and also protect them from Allah' punishment). Nay, but they (the so-called gods) will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them (on the Day of Resurrection).) (19:81, 82) Prophet Ibrahim said to his people:

إِنَّمَا اتَّخَذْتُمْ مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْثَـناً مَّوَدَّةَ بَيْنِكُمْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَيَلْعَنُ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضاً وَمَأْوَاكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِّن نَّـصِرِينَ

(You have taken (for worship) idols instead of Allah. The love between you is only in the life of this world, but on the Day of Resurrection, you shall disown each other, and curse each other, and your abode will be the Fire, and you shall have no helper.) (29:25) Allah said:

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّـلِمُونَ مَوْقُوفُونَ عِندَ رَبّهِمْ يَرْجِعُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ الْقَوْلَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ لَوْلاَ أَنتُمْ لَكُنَّا مُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ أَنَحْنُ صَدَدنَـكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءكُمْ بَلْ كُنتُمْ مُّجْرِمِينَ وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ بَلْ مَكْرُ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَآ أَن نَّكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَندَاداً وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُاْ اْلَعَذَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا الاْغْلَـلَ فِى أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلاَّ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

(But if you could see when the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers) will be made to stand before their Lord,how they will cast the (blaming) word one to another! Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant: "Had it not been for you, we should certainly have been believers!" And those who were arrogant will say to those who were deemed weak: "Did we keep you back from guidance after it had come to you Nay, but you were Mujrimin (polytheists, sinners, disbelievers, criminals)." Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant: "Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day, when you ordered us to disbelieve in Allah and set up rivals to Him!" And each of them (parties) will conceal their own regrets (for disobeying Allah during this worldly life), when they behold the torment. And We shall put iron collars round the necks of those who disbelieved. Are they requited aught except what they used to do) (34:31-33) Allah said:

وَقَالَ الشَّيْطَـنُ لَمَّا قُضِىَ الاٌّمْرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ وَمَا كَانَ لِىَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّن سُلْطَـنٍ إِلاَّ أَن دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِى فَلاَ تَلُومُونِى وَلُومُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ مَّآ أَنَاْ بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَآ أَنتُمْ بِمُصْرِخِىَّ إِنِّى كَفَرْتُ بِمَآ أَشْرَكْتُمُونِ مِن قَبْلُ إِنَّ الظَّـلِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

(And Shaytan (Satan) will say when the matter has been decided: "Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, and you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with Allah (by obeying me in the life of the world). Verily, there is a painful torment for the Zalimin (polytheists and wrongdoers).) (14:22)

Allah then said:

وَرَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الاٌّسْبَابُ

(...and they see the torment, then all their relations will be cut off from them.) meaning, when they see Allah's torment, their power and means of salvation are all cut off, and they will have no way of making amends, nor will they find a way of escape from the Fire. `Ata' reported that Ibn `Abbas said about:

وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الاٌّسْبَابُ

(then all their relations will be cut off from them.) "meaning the friendship." Mujahid reported a similar statement in another narration by Ibn Abu Najih.

Allah said:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُواْ مِنَّا

(And those who followed will say: "If only we had one more chance to return (to the worldly life), we would disown (declare ourselves as innocent from) them as they have disowned (declared themselves as innocent from) us.")

This Ayah means: `If we only had a chance to go back to the life so that we could disown them (their idols, leaders, etc.) shun their worship, ignore them and worship Allah Alone instead.' But they utter a lie in this regard, because if they were given the chance to go back, they would only return to what they were prohibited from doing, just as Allah said. This is why Allah said:

كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ حَسَرَتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ

(Thus Allah will show them their deeds as regrets for them.) meaning, their works will vanish and disappear. Similarly, Allah said:

وَقَدِمْنَآ إِلَى مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَآءً مَّنثُوراً

(And We shall turn to whatever deeds they (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners) did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust.) (25:23)

Allah also said:

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِمْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَرَمَادٍ اشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ

(The parable of those who disbelieved in their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a stormy day.) (14:18), and:

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَعْمَـلُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَآءً

(As for those who disbelieved, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one thinks it to be water.) (24:39)

This is why Allah said ـ at the end of the Ayah 2:167 above

وَمَا هُم بِخَـرِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ

(And they will never get out of the Fire.)

Yet there be people who take to themselves compeers idols besides God that is other than God loving them by magnifying them and being subservient to them as God is loved that is as their love of Him; but those who believe love God more ardently than those who love their compeers because the former never reject God whereas the latter when faced with hardship soon abandon those compeers for God; If he if you O Muhammad (s) were to see those who did evil by taking to themselves compeers when idh here denotes idhā they see read either as active yarawna ‘they see’ or passive yurawna ‘they are made to see’ the chastisement you would see a grave sight that this is because the might the power and the vanquishing altogether a circumstantial qualifier belongs to God and that God is terrible in chastisement according to one reading the person listening to the verse governs the verb yarā ‘he sees’ and constitutes the subject of the clause; according to another reading it is the ‘evildoers’ who constitute the subject of the clause and govern the verb yarā; and so it yarā has the sense of ya‘lam ‘he knows’; the particle an ‘that’ and what comes after it have taken the place of the objects in both cases; the response to the initial conditional law ‘if’ has been omitted. The general meaning of the verse then is ‘If they were aware in this world of the severity of God’s chastisement and of the fact that power is God’s alone the moment they come to see it with their own eyes on the Day of Resurrection they would not take to themselves compeers’.

In the verses that appeared earlier, there was a strong and positive view of Allah's Oneness. Now the present verse points out to the error made by those who associate others in the divinity of Allah and think that they are caretakers of their needs. Their attachment to them reaches the proportions of love that is due for Allah alone.

In direct contrast to this profile of the polytheists, there are the true believers who love Allah alone, and very staunchly too, for a poly-theist may turn away from his self-made god in the event of an impending loss, but a true believer reposes his total confidence in Allah, in gain and loss alike, retaining His love and pleasure as his lasting possession, never leaving his Creator whatever the odds against him be.

Now, returning back to the 'unjust', the Holy Qur'an makes a subtle suggestion that the opportunity to correct their position was there; they could have recognized through their frustrations with their gods that they were helpless and that real power rested with Allah. But, they missed the opportunity and must now learn the hard way. So, the stern warning.

Among the people are some who take peers apart from God, loving them as if loving God. And those who have faith are more intense in love for God. If this were the only verse in the whole Qur'an about the faithful and God's friends, their eminence and honor would be complete, for the Lord of the Worlds is saying, “They love Me intensely and more completely than the unbelievers love their objects of worship.” Do you not see that every once in a while the unbelievers set up another idol and take up another object of worship. Like poor people, they are content with something carved of wood. Then, when they can, they take down the wooden one and make another from silver or gold. If their love for their object of wor- ship is real, why do they turn away from it toward another? They say that a man met a woman recognizer, and her beauty exercised its influence over his heart. He said, “'My all is busy with your all.' O woman! I have lost myself in love for you.” She said, “Why don't you look at my sister, who is more beautiful and lovely than I?” He said, “Where is your sister so that I may see her?” She said, “Go, idler! Passion is not your work. If your claim to love me were true, you would not care about anyone else.” And those who have faith are more intense in love for God. The Lord of the Worlds says, “The love of the faithful for Me is not like the unbelievers' love for idols, such that every once in a while they incline toward another. Rather, the faithful never turn away from Me and never incline toward anyone else. For, if they did turn away, they would never find someone like Me, no matter how much they sought.” Poor man, God has many servants like you. If something bad is to occur for you, it will occur. How can you turn away, for you will not find a Lord like Him. Shiblī said, “I learned Sufism from a dog that was sleeping at the door of a house. The owner came out and was driving the dog away, but the dog kept on coming back. I said to myself, 'How base this dog is! He drives him away, and he keeps on coming back.' The Exalted Lord brought that dog to speech and it said, 'O Shaykh! Where should I go? He is my owner.'” I will not leave the Friend at a hundred iniquities and cruelties. Even if He increases them, I will not be troubled, It is I who chose Him over everyone else; if I complain about Him, I will have no excuse.