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Maamar III: On Command and Prohibition — Introduction
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As a preamble to this maamar: since it has been established that the Creator (mighty and exalted) is eternal and nothing existed alongside Him, His bringing things into being was an act of generosity and grace on His part.
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The greatest of His benefactions to creatures was giving them existence — that is, bringing them into being after they were not — as He said to His chosen: 'All who are called by My name, whom I created for My glory' (Isaiah 43:7).
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Then He gave them a means by which to attain complete happiness and perfect bliss, as it says: 'You make me know the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand pleasures forevermore' (Ps. 16:11).
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And that means is precisely what He commanded them and prohibited to them. Now the first thing reason considers when it reflects on this is: could He not have granted them the complete blessing without commanding or prohibiting anything?
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In clarifying this, I say: making their efforts in what He commanded them the very cause of their reaching everlasting bliss is the better course.
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Reason holds that one who attains a good through labor deserves double what one receives who did no work but was given a gift — reason does not sanction equating the two.
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For this reason, our Creator inclined us toward the richer portion — so that our benefit through recompense is double the benefit of the one who receives without working.
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Section 1. Having set out this preamble, I begin by saying: our Lord (mighty and exalted) has made known to us through His prophets that He has a law by which we are to be judged.
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It contains statutes He has legislated for us, which we are obligated to guard and perform sincerely, as He says: 'This day the LORD your God commands you to observe these statutes and ordinances; you shall keep and perform them with all your heart and all your soul' (Deut. 26:16).
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Then we found that rational reflection requires that legislation be given to us and that neglecting it is impermissible. I shall now explain several things and categories that reason requires in this regard.
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Reason requires that every benefactor be met either with a return benefaction if he is in need, or with gratitude if he is self-sufficient and needs no recompense.
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Reason also requires that the wise not permit themselves to be insulted and slandered; it therefore follows that the Creator must forbid His servants from receiving Him in such a manner.
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Reason also requires that creatures be prevented from transgressing against one another in every form of wrongdoing; it follows that the wise must not permit them to do so.
Reason also permits a wise authority to employ a laborer in some task and pay him his wage, so as to expose him to his own particular benefit — since this benefits the worker without harming the employer.