— Or he may remain patient, thereby securing the reward that comes with it. Yet patience can stand only upon faith, whereas a supposed patience that is not grounded in faith—mere self-restraint and the like—yields scant benefit and soon collapses into panic. Believers, therefore, are the people of the greatest patience, certainty, and steadfastness in times of hardship.

• Another fruit: Faith endows the servant with strong reliance upon Allah, because he knows and believes that every matter returns to Allah and falls under His decree and predestination; that whoever depends on Him, He suffices; and that whoever puts his trust in Allah has placed his trust in the All-Powerful, the All-Mighty, the Subduer.

While faith instils firm reliance, it also requires earnest striving and diligence in every beneficial cause, for beneficial causes are of two kinds: religious and worldly.

• Religious causes are themselves acts of faith and are among its necessary implications.

• Worldly causes are of two categories:
— A cause that supports religion and is needed by it; this too counts as religion, such as striving to acquire both moral and material strength that empowers the believers.
— A cause that was not originally instituted as an aid to religion. Yet the believer—owing to the strength of his faith and his longing for the good that is with Allah—uses every avenue and means to reach his Lord. Through his intention, his true understanding, and his refined knowledge, he extracts from matters that are merely permissible a pathway that helps him pursue good, refreshes the soul, and assists it in fulfilling the obligatory and recommended rights of Allah and of His servants.

Thus, what is permissible becomes commendable in his case—indeed an act of worship—because it is accompanied by a sincere intention. Some believers who are truthful in their faith and understanding may even intend, through their sleep, rest, and pleasures, to fortify themselves for good deeds, to nurture their bodies for acts of worship, and to strengthen themselves for righteousness. The same applies to the medicines and treatments they require. They may even intend, while engaging in permissible matters—or in some of them—to occupy themselves away from