does not diminish in the least, as He Most High says: “What you have will come to an end, but what Allah has is everlasting.”1 If a needle were dipped into the sea and then withdrawn, the sea would not thereby be diminished in any way. Likewise, even if a bird were to drink from it, it would not diminish the sea in the least. Whenever He—glorified is He—wills something, whether a gift, a punishment, or anything else, He says to it, “Be,” and it is. As He—glorified is He—says: “His command, when He wills something, is only to say to it, ‘Be!’—and it is.”2 He also says: “When We will something, Our only word to it is to say, ‘Be!’—and it is.”3 How, then, could it be imagined that what belongs to One whose affair is such could ever diminish or be exhausted? How excellently the poet said:

Never abase yourself before a created being in hope of gain,
For such conduct on your part is harmful to your faith.

Seek provision from Allah, from what lies within His treasuries,
For they lie only between the letters kāf and nūn4.

The servant needs Allah in every one of his affairs and depends upon Him for all his needs. He cannot dispense with his Lord and Master for even the blink of an eye—or less. The Lord—glorified is He, by contrast—is Self-Sufficient and Praiseworthy. He has no need of His servants’ acts of obedience or supplications, nor does their benefit accrue to Him; rather, it is they who benefit from them. He is not harmed by their sins; rather, it is they who are harmed by them. For this reason, He—glorified is He—says: “O mankind, it is you who stand in need of Allah, while Allah alone is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy. If He wills, He can do away with you and bring forth a new creation, and that