Thus the Lord—glorified is He—receives one half, namely all praise and goodness, while the servant receives the other half, namely supplication and entreaty. These two encompass everything that belongs to the Lord and everything that belongs to the servant: “You alone we worship” is for the Lord, and “You alone we ask for help” is for the servant.
In the two Ṣaḥīḥs it is related from Muʿādh (may Allah be pleased with him): “I was riding behind the Prophet on a donkey when he said, ‘Muʿādh, do you know Allah’s right over His servants?’ I replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘Allah’s right over the servants is that they worship Him and associate nothing with Him. And the servants’ right upon Allah is that He not punish whoever does not associate anything with Him.’ ”
Worship is the very goal for which Allah created His servants from the angle of His command, His love and His good-pleasure, as He says: “I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (al-Dhāriyāt 51:56). For this purpose He sent the messengers and revealed the scriptures. The word “worship” gathers together perfect humility at its utmost degree and perfect love for Allah at its utmost degree; love devoid of humility, or humility devoid of love, is not worship. True worship is what unites both perfections. For that reason worship is valid only for Allah. Although its benefit returns entirely to the servant and Allah is altogether free of need, it is nonetheless rendered to Him because He loves it and is pleased with it. Hence Allah’s joy over His servant’s repentance is greater than that of a man who loses his mount, carrying his food and drink, in a barren, lethal wasteland, then lies down despairing of it, falls asleep, awakes—and finds it beside him. Allah is more delighted with His servant’s repentance than that man is on finding his mount. This parable involves profound matters we have elaborated elsewhere.
Reliance upon Allah (tawakkul) and seeking His help belong to the servant, for they are the means and the pathway by which he attains his goal of worship. Seeking help is like making supplication and asking.
Al-Ṭabarānī relates in his book al-Duʿāʾ that the Prophet said: “Allah declares: ‘Son of Adam, the affair is but four: one is for Me, one is for you, one is between Me and you, and one is between you and My creation. As for what is for Me, worship Me and do not associate anything with Me. As for what is for you, it is your deeds—for which I shall recompense you when you are in utmost need of it. As for what is between Me and you, it is that you supplicate and I respond. And as for what is between you and My creation, treat people in the way you love them to treat you.’ ”
The division into “for Allah” and “for the servant” reflects, at the outset, the connection of love and good-pleasure: the servant initially loves and desires what he sees as suitable for himself, whereas Allah loves and is pleased with the ultimate purpose itself; His pleasure in the means follows on from that. In reality, every commanded act profits the servant alone, yet Allah loves and is pleased with all of them.
Accordingly, whoever imagined that tawakkul is a station of the commoners alone has supposed that tawakkul is sought only for worldly benefits—an error. Reliance upon Allah in religious matters is even greater in importance, for many religious obligations and recommended acts cannot be fulfilled without it. Whoever abstains from such reliance is in fact abstaining from what Allah loves, commands and is pleased with.
Legally sanctioned renunciation (zuhd) is to forgo desire for whatever brings no benefit in the Hereafter—that is, the surplus of what is permissible and that does not aid one in obeying Allah—just as the sanctioned form of scrupulousness (waraʿ) is to leave whatever may harm one in the Hereafter, namely, the forbidden things.