The Devils Deception by Imam Ibn AL-Jawzi

T H E D E V I L ' S
D E C E P T I O N S
How awful is this of you?! Humans are social (beings) because
they are of similar natures. In fact, humans feel affinity towards
water because they themselves contain water. Humans have a stronger
affinity towards plants because of their animalistic nature. And an
even stronger affinity toward animals because of the commonality
between them. Now, what aspects of similarity are there between
the Creator and the created?
The devil has deceived you to the point that you become slaves of
your passions (shahwa), and have even gone on to assert that what
you say is the truth being atheists - the appearance of devotees
('ubbad), gluttons in the appearance of ascetics (zuhhad), You give
examples to Allah, by believing that one can be passionately adored
(yu'shaqu) of Allah, and that He can be associated with on familiar
terms.
Since Allah created the substances in uniformity, in as much as
their elements are uniform, so that they associate with each other
and combine with one another in accordance with their elementary
constituents, and their similar compositions in the new shapes;
whence come concord and attachment and mutual affection familiarity
being strengthened in proportion to similarity in form.
Thus one of us takes pleasure in water because water is one of his
constituents but more in vegetation, since that approaches the nature
of animals in the faculty of growth, and yet more in animals,
owing to the animal's sharing with him the specific character and
approaching him most nearly. Where then is there such association
between the Creator and the creature as can produce attachment,
affection (al-'ishq), and desire (al-shawq)? What relation is there between
clay and water and the Creator of the heavens? These people
imagine the Almighty as a form presenting itself to the mind; but
that is not Allah, rather it is an image, fashioned by nature and the
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