and his settled abode. Every blessing, from every angle and in every respect, comes from Him alone. The servant’s duty, therefore, is to extol Him for it, to love Him on account of it, and to give thanks by employing it in obedience to Him.

One of the subtle manners of worshipping through blessings is to regard even a small blessing as immense, to deem one’s abundant gratitude still insufficient, and to realize that the blessing reached him from his Master without any price paid, means employed, or merit possessed—and that, in truth, it belongs to Allah, not to the servant. Hence blessings only increase him in brokenness, humility, lowliness, and love for the Benefactor.

Whenever Allah renews a blessing for him, he renews for it an act of servitude, love, submission, and humility; whenever He imposes a constriction, he responds with contentment; whenever he commits a sin, he follows it with repentance, brokenness, and apology. Such is the intelligent servant, whereas the helpless one is far removed from this path.

Success lies with Allah.

Section

Whoever abandons choosing and planning—whether in hope of gain, fear of loss, desire for health, or escape from illness—and knows that Allah is capable of all things, that He alone decides and manages affairs, that His management of His servant is better than the servant’s management of himself, that He knows the servant’s best interest better than the servant does, is more able to bring it about, more sincere in advising the servant than the servant is to himself, more merciful to him than he is to himself, and kinder to him than he is to himself; and who, moreover, realizes that he cannot move a single step ahead of Allah’s plan nor lag a single step behind it—there is no advancing before His decree and destiny and no delaying—such a person casts himself before Him, surrenders the whole affair to Him, and lies prostrate before Him like a weak, owned slave before a mighty, overpowering king who disposes of His slave however He wills while the slave has no say whatsoever. At that moment he finds relief from worries, griefs, vexations, and regrets, and Allah Himself bears his burdens, his needs, and his interests.