—in the Night Journey: “Exalted is He who took His servant by night” [al-Isra: 1]; and in the Ascension: “And He revealed to His servant what He revealed” [al-Najm: 10]. The Night Journey and the Ascension are among the loftiest stations of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.

Allah also described him thus when defending him: “And if you are in doubt concerning what We have sent down upon Our servant, then produce a surah like it” [al-Baqarah: 23].

And He described him thus when sending revelation down to him: “Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant” [al-Furqan: 1]; and, “All praise belongs to Allah, who sent down the Book upon His servant” [al-Kahf: 1].

In short, the noblest description a person can have is to be a servant of Allah—may Allah bring this about for His believing servants—not a servant of his own whims. When he hears his Lord’s command, he says, “We hear and obey.” When he hears His prohibition, he says, “We hear and refrain.” And when he hears a report, he says, “We hear, believe, and accept.”

Allah’s righteous servants are those whose inward states and outward conduct are sound.

The soundness of one’s inward state lies in sincerely devoting worship to Allah, while the soundness of one’s outward conduct lies in following the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

These are the righteous. Their opposite are Allah’s corrupt servants, whose corruption may lie in their inward state or in their outward conduct. The polytheist is corrupt inwardly, while the innovator is corrupt outwardly. Some innovators may intend good, but their outward conduct is corrupt because they have not followed the path laid down by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

The polytheist is corrupt inwardly, even if he performs a deed whose outward appearance is sound and righteous, such as one who performs acts for show.