Spiritual Disease and Its Cure by Imam Shams-ud-Deen Muhammad bin Abi Bakr bin Qayyim AlJ awziyyah

It is a great evil to give one's opinion regarding the Names, Attributes and Actions of Allah ~ without having any proper knowledge about them. To describe Allah ~ with anything contrary to what He ~ has described Himself, or has been described with by the Prophet ~ is also a great sin. It is the most degenerate thing to do to the Attribute of Perfection of the One Who is the Owner of the Creation and the Command. If such an act is issued out of knowledge, then it is an act of obstinacy, which is even more evil than polytheism in the Sight of Allah. A polytheist who still acknowledges the Attributes of the Lord is less evil than the one who denies the Lord His Attributes of Perfection! The denial of the Attributes of the Lord IS the ailment without a cure. Pharaoh, the leader of such polytheists, rejected the statement of Musa (Moses) ~I, when he said that his Lord was above the heavens; so he responded, saying: ( 0 Haman! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the ways; the ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the God of Musa. But verily, I think he is a liar.) 3 Shaikh Abu Al- Hasan Al-Ash'ari used this Verse as argumentative evidence against all those who deny Allah His Own Attributes. Deviating innovation is one of the greatest sins; and is more preferred by Iblis (Satan) than other major sins. One of the past scholars said: "An innovation is more beloved by Iblis than an act of disobedience to Allah; because one can repent from a disobedient act, but can hardly do so from an innovation." lblis said: "I have exhausted the Children of Adam with sins, and they have exhausted me by seeking forgiveness from Allah and testifying that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, Alone. On seeing this, I established among them sects (and heretic tendencies); so they commit sins and do not repent from them, because they think that they are acquiring good by their deeds!" A sinner harms only himself; whereas an innovator harms himself as well as upon other people. The fitnah (test, trial, tribulation) of an innovator affects the basis of religion; whereas the fitnah of a sinner is in having to cope his own desires. An innovator drives people away from the Right Path, whereas a sinner does not do so. An innovator denies people the right way to the Hereafter, whilst a sinner is slowed down because of his sins.