If someone were to say, “If I maintained such earnest endeavour throughout my life, I would become tired and weary,”

we would reply: Your resting in order to refresh yourself and restore your energy is itself regarded as an occupation and an activity. Work does not necessarily require physical movement. Your taking time off so that you may regain energy for your next task is itself an activity. What matters is that you make your entire life one of earnest endeavour and activity.

“And direct your longing to your Lord.” That is, once you have completed your tasks and exerted yourself in others, turn to Allah—Mighty and Majestic—seeking reward, recompense, and assistance. Be mindful of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—both before and after an action: before acting, seek His assistance; and afterward, hope for His reward.

The words, “to your Lord,” in the verse “And direct your longing to your Lord,” also contain a rhetorical benefit. Grammatically, “to your Lord” is connected to “direct your longing,” yet it has been placed before it. Placing the dependent phrase first conveys exclusivity. In other words: direct your longing in all your affairs to Allah alone, and to no one else. Be confident that whenever you place your hopes in Allah—Mighty and Majestic—He will make matters easy for you.

Many people lack this quality: they fail to direct their longing constantly to Allah. Consequently, you find that many of their endeavours go awry because there was no connection between them and Allah Most High in what they did. We ask Allah—Glorified and Exalted—to make us obedient to His commands and firm believers in what He has informed us. He is capable of all things.