Reading from the author's text with commentary and collation of manuscripts: "The Fifth Aspect
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: "The Fifth Aspect: That he linked the ruling to the description with the letter 'fa,' which indicates that this is its cause from another angle. Where he said: 'The Jews and Christians do not dye their hair, so differ from them,' this implies that the cause of the command to differ from them is that they do not dye their hair. So the implied meaning is: 'Dye your hair, because they do not dye their hair.' And if the cause of the command to perform the act is their not performing it, this indicates that the intention to differ from them is established by the Shari'ah, which is what is sought. This is clarified by the fact that if the intention to differ from them had no effect on the command to dye, there would be no benefit in mentioning them, nor would it be appropriate to follow it with this. And although this indicates that differing from them is an intended purpose of the Shari'ah, this does not negate that there may be an intended benefit in the act itself from which they were differed, independent of differing from them. For here are two things:
First: That the very act of differing from them in the apparent guidance is a benefit and advantage for the believing servants of Allah, because differing from them involves separation and distinction that necessitates distancing from the deeds of the people of the Hellfire. And some of the benefit in this only becomes apparent to one whose heart is illuminated until he sees the disease that characterizes those against whom anger was invoked and those who went astray, a disease whose harm is greater than the harm of bodily diseases.
Second: That the very guidance and character they are upon may be harmful or deficient, so it is forbidden, and its opposite is commanded for the benefit and perfection it contains. And nothing of their matters is except that it is either harmful or deficient. Because what is in their hands of innovated and abrogated deeds and the like is harmful, and what is in their hands of what has not had its origin abrogated is subject to increase and decrease. So differing from them in this is by legislating what achieves it in a state of perfection. And it is not conceivable that anything of their matters is ever complete. So differing from them has benefit and rectification for us in all their matters, even their perfection in some of their worldly affairs may be harmful to the matter of the Hereafter or to what is more important than it from the matter of the world, so differing in this is rectification for us.
In summary, disbelief is like a disease of the heart and more severe. And whenever the heart is diseased, nothing of the limbs is sound in an absolute sense. And the rectification is that you do not resemble the one with a diseased heart in any of his matters, even if the disease of that limb is hidden from you, but it is sufficient for you that the corruption of the origin must affect the branch. And one who awakens to this may know some of the wisdom that Allah revealed. For one who has a disease in his heart may doubt the command to differ itself because its benefit is not clear to him, or he may imagine that this is of the kind of the command of kings and rulers who seek elevation in the earth. And by my life, prophethood is the ultimate kingship that Allah grants to whom He wills and takes from whom He wills, but the kingship..."
First: That the very act of differing from them in the apparent guidance is a benefit and advantage for the believing servants of Allah, because differing from them involves separation and distinction that necessitates distancing from the deeds of the people of the Hellfire. And some of the benefit in this only becomes apparent to one whose heart is illuminated until he sees the disease that characterizes those against whom anger was invoked and those who went astray, a disease whose harm is greater than the harm of bodily diseases.
Second: That the very guidance and character they are upon may be harmful or deficient, so it is forbidden, and its opposite is commanded for the benefit and perfection it contains. And nothing of their matters is except that it is either harmful or deficient. Because what is in their hands of innovated and abrogated deeds and the like is harmful, and what is in their hands of what has not had its origin abrogated is subject to increase and decrease. So differing from them in this is by legislating what achieves it in a state of perfection. And it is not conceivable that anything of their matters is ever complete. So differing from them has benefit and rectification for us in all their matters, even their perfection in some of their worldly affairs may be harmful to the matter of the Hereafter or to what is more important than it from the matter of the world, so differing in this is rectification for us.
In summary, disbelief is like a disease of the heart and more severe. And whenever the heart is diseased, nothing of the limbs is sound in an absolute sense. And the rectification is that you do not resemble the one with a diseased heart in any of his matters, even if the disease of that limb is hidden from you, but it is sufficient for you that the corruption of the origin must affect the branch. And one who awakens to this may know some of the wisdom that Allah revealed. For one who has a disease in his heart may doubt the command to differ itself because its benefit is not clear to him, or he may imagine that this is of the kind of the command of kings and rulers who seek elevation in the earth. And by my life, prophethood is the ultimate kingship that Allah grants to whom He wills and takes from whom He wills, but the kingship..."