Principle

The foundation of every good is to know with certainty that whatever Allah wills comes to be, and whatever He does not will can never be. Once this conviction is firm, you will realize that righteous deeds are among His favors, so you thank Him for them and implore Him never to cut them off from you. You will likewise understand that misdeeds stem from His abandonment and His punishment, so you earnestly beseech Him to place a barrier between you and them and not to leave you—whether in performing good deeds or in avoiding evil—to your own soul.

Those possessed of insight are unanimously agreed that every good has its origin in Allah’s enabling grace (tawfīq) to the servant, and every evil has its origin in His abandonment (khidhlān) of the servant.

They are also unanimous that tawfīq is for Allah not to leave you to yourself, whereas khidhlān is for Him to leave you to yourself.

Since the root of every good is tawfīq, which rests in Allah’s hand and not in the servant’s, its key is supplication, neediness, sincere resort to Him, longing for Him, and fear of Him. Whenever He grants the servant this key, He intends to open the door for him; and whenever He withholds the key, the door of good remains bolted before him.

The Commander of the Believers, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him), said: “I am not burdened by concern for the answer; my only concern is the supplication. When I am inspired to supplicate, the answer comes with it.” (1)

In proportion to a servant’s intention, aspiration, purpose, and desire for this, so will Allah’s enabling grace and assistance arrive. Divine aid descends upon people in measure with their aspirations, steadfastness, longing, and fear, and abandonment descends upon them in the same measure.

Allah, exalted is He, is the wisest of judges and the most knowledgeable of the knowledgeable; He places tawfīq in—