the religion; and Allah’s decree, namely, the calamities that befall a person. This is because the revealed law runs counter to one’s desires, so a person finds it burdensome to carry out Allah’s commands and to refrain from what Allah has forbidden. It conflicts with the soul’s desires, and the soul that persistently incites to evil is not receptive to Allah’s commands or prohibitions. Some people find prayer burdensome, as Allah Almighty says of the hypocrites: “When they rise for prayer, they rise reluctantly” [al-Nisā’: 142]. For others, prayer comes easily; indeed, they long for it and eagerly await its arrival, as the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “Prayer has been made the delight of my eyes” (1).
Thus, the revealed law contains matters that are burdensome to souls, such as refraining from forbidden things. Some people desire things that are forbidden to them, such as illicit sexual relations, drinking wine, and the like, so abstaining from them weighs heavily upon them. Others accept this wholeheartedly and keep away from what Allah has forbidden.
Consider Joseph—peace be upon him—when the wife of al-Azīz solicited him after locking the doors and saying, “Come to me!” She had prepared herself for him in the finest attire and at her most beautiful, and the place was secure from anyone entering. She had locked the doors and said, “Come to me!” He replied, “I seek refuge in Allah!” He sought refuge with his Lord because this was a critical predicament: a young man, the wife of al-Azīz, and a secluded, secure place. A person is only human, and his own soul might entice him to act. Allah therefore says: “She certainly desired him, and he would have desired her had he not seen the proof of his Lord” [Yūsuf: 74].
It is authentically reported that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace—said: “There are seven whom Allah will shade in His shade on the Day when there will be no shade but His: a just ruler; a young man who grew up in obedience to Allah; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; a man who was solicited by a woman of status and beauty but said, ‘I fear Allah’; two men who loved one another for Allah’s sake, coming together and parting on that basis; a man who gave charity so secretly that his left hand did not know what his right hand spent; and a man who remembered Allah while alone, causing tears to flow from—