• Seeking forgiveness (istighfar) is to ask Allah for pardon. When it is accompanied by repentance, it becomes the complete istighfar to which forgiveness has been promised. If repentance does not accompany it, then it is merely the servant’s plea that his Lord forgive him; such a plea may be answered or it may not. In and of itself, however, it is an act of worship: a supplication of devotion and a supplication of request.
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Reliance upon Allah (tawakkul) and seeking His help (istiʿānah) share one meaning: the heart’s dependence on Allah to bring about benefits and to ward off harms—religious and worldly, personal and communal—while trusting Him regarding the matter sought.
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Loving Allah and turning back to Him (inābah) is the heart’s deep affection for Allah because of His perfection and His outward and inward favors; it is the heart’s attraction to Allah in worship, longing, and awe for every need; the heart’s serenity in His remembrance, its constant invocation of Him, and its return to Him in every religious and worldly affair, great or small. Whoever’s heart is ever returning to Allah is one who loves Him; the munīb is the awwāh—ever penitent, ever coming back to Allah.
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Maʿrūf (right) and munkar (wrong) are opposites: maʿrūf is a comprehensive term for everything whose goodness is acknowledged by the Sacred Law and by sound reason, while munkar is its opposite.
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Khabīth (foul) and ṭayyib (wholesome) are opposites as well: ṭayyib denotes whatever possesses good qualities and abundant benefits, whereas khabīth is the reverse.
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Good character and bad character pertain both to one’s relationship with Allah and to one’s relationship with His creation:
• Good character with Allah is to fulfill His servitude outwardly and inwardly, together with strong love for Him, tranquility in Him, constant remembrance of Him, and firm trust in Him.
• Good character with people is to extend kindness to them, withhold harm from them, and endure any harm that comes from them.
• Bad character is the very opposite of all of this.