is written down and preserved, as are the words of the scholars. This is why Allah repeated the command a second time.

“Truly, man certainly transgresses when he sees himself as self-sufficient. Surely to your Lord is the return. Have you considered the one who forbids a servant when he prays? Have you considered whether he is upon guidance, or enjoins piety? Have you considered whether he denies the truth and turns away? Does he not know that Allah sees? No indeed! If he does not desist, We shall surely seize him by the forelock—a lying, sinful forelock. So let him call his assembly; We shall call the guards of Hell. No indeed! Do not obey him. Prostrate yourself and draw near.”

Allah Most High says: “Truly, man certainly transgresses.” The word “truly” occurs in the Quran with several meanings. One of them is “certainly,” as in this verse. Here it means “certainly”; that is, Allah Most High affirms this as a fact about which there can be no doubt: “Truly, man certainly transgresses when he sees himself as self-sufficient.” “Man” here does not refer to a particular individual; rather, it denotes humankind as a whole. Every human being among the children of Adam transgresses when he sees himself as self-sufficient. Transgression means exceeding the bounds. When a person thinks himself independent of Allah’s mercy, he transgresses and no longer cares. When he thinks himself independent of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in the removal of hardships and the attainment of what he seeks, he ceases to turn to Allah and becomes heedless. When he considers himself self-sufficient because of good health, he forgets illness; when he considers himself self-sufficient because he is satiated, he forgets hunger; and when he considers himself self-sufficient because he is clothed, he forgets nakedness. Thus, it is human nature to transgress and rebel whenever one considers oneself free of need. The believer, however, is exempt from this, for he never considers himself independent of Allah for even the blink of an eye. He is always in need of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, asking his Lord for everything he needs and seeking refuge in Him whenever adversity strikes,