Third: the means that secure the desired, beloved objective.

Fourth: the means that repel what is detested.

These four matters are indispensable for the servant—indeed for every living being; its very existence and soundness cannot stand without them. As for what is not alive, it belongs to a different discussion.

Once this is understood, the clarification of what I have just mentioned may be set out from several angles:

First: Allah, exalted be He, is the One whom it is fitting to intend, call upon, and seek, and He is the One who grants assistance in attaining what is sought. Everything besides Him belongs to what is hated, and He alone provides help in warding off what is hated. Thus, glorified be He, He gathers all four matters in His person to the exclusion of all else. This is the meaning of His statement: “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help” (1:5). Worship contains within it the intended goal—but in its most perfect form—while the One from whom help is sought is He by whose aid that goal is achieved. The first aspect expresses the meaning of divinity (ulūhiyya); the second expresses the meaning of lordship (rubūbiyya).

The meaning of divinity: the god (ilāh) is the One who is deified and therefore worshipped out of love, returning to Him in devotion, reverence, and honor.