this is the state of the believers in Allāh and His Messenger, those who worship Allāh, and all of this is part of worship. And those who witness the cosmic reality, which is His Lordship over everything, and use that as a barrier to following His religious and legal command, are on various levels of misguidance: their extremists apply this universally and argue with predestination in everything they oppose in the sharīʿah. The words of these people are worse than those of the Jews and Christians and are akin to the words of the polytheists who said (al-Anʿām, 148): "If Allāh had willed, we would not have associated partners, nor would our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything," and they said (al-Zukhruf, 20): "If the Most Merciful had willed, we would not have worshiped them." These are among the most contradictory people on earth; indeed, anyone who argues with predestination is contradictory, for it is impossible for him to approve of every human being's actions. If a wrongdoer wrongs him or people, spreads corruption on earth, sheds blood, violates sanctities, destroys crops and progeny, and causes other types of harm that people cannot endure, he must repel this predestination and punish the wrongdoer to curb his aggression and that of his likes. It is said to him: If predestination is a valid argument, then let everyone do as they wish with you and others; and if it is not a valid argument, then the basis of your claim that [predestination] is an argument is invalid. And those who hold this view, who argue with the cosmic reality, do not..