the Almighty and Majestic—always with Allah, attached to Him, Glorified and Exalted is He—and sees the whole of this world as a means of worshipping and obeying Allah. Such a person uses this world to attain servitude to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, for it was created for him; he does not allow it to use him. This is the highest state. Those devoted to this world serve it and exhaust themselves in acquiring it.
Those devoted to the Hereafter, however, put this world to their service, and it serves them. They therefore acquire from it only in ways pleasing to Allah and spend it only in ways pleasing to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Thus, they make use of it both in acquiring and spending. By contrast, those devoted to this world, whom it has wearied, stay up at night reviewing ledgers, checks, expenses, payments, and everything they have received and spent. In reality, this world has used them; they have not used it. But the contented man to whom Allah has granted provision sufficient to make him independent of others, and who does not toil for it at the expense of obedience to Allah—he is the one whom this world has served.
These are the states of the hearts, and the states of the hearts are the greatest of the four states. We must therefore all examine our hearts every hour and every moment: Where have you turned, O heart? Where have you gone? Why do you turn away from Allah? Why do you look right and left?
Satan courses through the son of Adam as blood does, and he has gained mastery over many people. A person may even be distracted from his prayer—which, after the two testimonies of faith, is his greatest asset. You find that when he enters his prayer, his heart wanders right and left until he finishes without having consciously grasped any of it.
Yet people cry out, saying, “Our prayers do not restrain us from shameful and evil deeds. What has become of Allah’s promise?” Such a person is told: My brother, can your prayer truly be called prayer when, from the moment you begin by declaring Allah’s greatness, a door opens before you to endless distracting thoughts? Are you truly praying? You prayed with your body, but not with your heart.
Such people are told: The prayer that restrains one from shameful and evil deeds is the prayer in which the worshipper understands what he recites of the Quran, remembrances, glorifications, and supplications, and properly observes its bowing, prostration, humility, and stillness. As for a prayer in which the heart wanders aimlessly through every valley, and from which a person emerges without knowing what he recited, it does not restrain him from shameful and evil deeds. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “You gain nothing from your prayer except what you consciously grasp of it: half of it, a quarter of it, a third of it, a tenth of it,