The commonality are a group whose rank is below that of spiritual lovers. Their love is the result of similarity of nature and conformity of character. [224] The essence of their love is the inclination of the heart towards a thing and its delighting in it. Of this type of love the Prophet said: “A man will follow the religion of his bosom friend, so take care whom you befriend.” Also, it is related [from] ʿAmra that she said: “There was in Mecca a woman buffoon who went to Medina and stayed with another woman like her. The news reached ʿĀʾisha and she said, T heard the Messenger of God say: “Spirits are regimented battalions: those which know one another associate familiarly together, while those which do not know one another remain at variance.’”” And a certain poet said:

Similarly, ʿAbd Allah [b. Masʿūd]said: “A man [who believes] will enter the mosque when there are a hundred men in it, but only one believer, and he will go and sit by his side, while a hypocrite will enter the mosque when there are a hundred men in it, but only one hypocrite, and he will go and sit by his side.”

We have mentioned the signs of this love above, but we may recall here that al-Kindī said: “Blood relationship is a transitory accident, but brotherhood based on similarity is an enduring substance.”