Following Lowly Desires (1) Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allāh have mercy on him) said: «وصاحب الهوى يعميه الهوى ويصمه، فلا يستحضر ما لله ورسوله في الأمر ولا يطلبه، ولا يرضى لرضا الله ورسوله، ولا يغضب لغضب الله ورسوله، بل يرضى إذا حصل ما يرضاه بهواه، ويغضب إذا حصل ما يغضب له بهواه، ويكون مع ذلك معه شبهة دين أن الذي يرضى له ويغضب له أنه هو السنة، وهو الحق، وهو الدين، فإذا قدر أن الذي معه هو الحق المحض دين الإسلام، ولم يكن قصده أن يكون الدين كله لله، وأن تكون كلمة الله هي العليا، بل قصد الحمية لنفسه وطائفته أو الرياء، ليعظم هو ويثنى عليه، أو لغرض من الدنيا لم يكن لله» “The person driven by desire is blinded and deafened by it. He neither recalls what Allāh and His Messenger have commanded regarding the matter, nor does he seek it. He is not pleased by what pleases Allāh and His Messenger, nor is he angered by what angers Allāh and His Messenger. Rather, he is pleased when his personal desires are fulfilled, and angered when they are not — all according to his whims. Despite this, he may carry with him a mistaken notion that what he is pleased with and angered by is in fact the Sunnah, the truth, and the religion. Even if what he holds is pure truth and the very essence of Islam, if his intention is not to make the religion entirely for Allāh and to elevate the word of Allāh above all else, but rather to defend himself, his group, or to show off — seeking praise and recognition — or for some worldly gain, then it is not truly for Allāh.” [Minhāj As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah, 5/256] #salafi_quotes