does whatever He wills and decrees whatever He wishes while He is above His Throne (1); nothing of the servants’ deeds, words, or innermost thoughts is hidden from Him. Rather, He knows the furtive glance of the eyes and what the hearts conceal (2).

The scene of ihsan is the fountainhead of all works of the heart, for it produces modesty (3), reverence, exaltation, awe, love, turning to Him in repentance, reliance, submission to Allah—glorified be He—and humility before Him (4). It cuts off satanic whisperings (5) and the inner murmurings of the self (6), and gathers the heart and intention (7) upon Allah.

A servant’s share of nearness to Allah is measured by his share in the station of ihsan. In proportion to that, prayers vary in merit, so that the superiority of one man’s prayer over another’s can be like the distance between heaven and earth, even though their standing, bowing, and prostration are outwardly the same.