Thus, the discerning traveller, thanks to sound resolve, lofty aspiration, single-minded purpose and a sincere intention, can cover—by means of only a few outward deeds—many times the distance traversed by one who lacks those inner qualities yet exhausts himself with strenuous effort and a fatiguing journey. Resolve and love remove hardship and make the path pleasant; advance and precedence with Allah come through aspirations, true longing and firm determination. Accordingly, the person of high aspiration, even while outwardly still, outstrips the one of abundant action by many stages; and if the latter were to equal him in aspiration, the former would surpass him by virtue of his deeds.

This is a point that calls for an explanation that aligns Islam with iḥsān (spiritual excellence). The most perfect guidance is that of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, for he gave each of the two its full due. Despite the perfection of his states with Allah, he would stand in prayer until his feet swelled, fast to the extent that people said he never broke it, strive in Allah’s cause, mingle with his Companions without screening himself from them, and never abandoned any supererogatory devotions or regular litanies because of the spiritual influxes that human strength is normally unable to bear.

Allah the Exalted has ordered His servants to uphold the prescribed rites of Islam outwardly and the realities of faith inwardly, and He accepts neither one without its companion. In the Musnad, in a hadith traced back to the Prophet, it is stated: “Islam is public, and faith is in the heart.” (1)

Therefore, any outward Islam whose practitioner does not proceed through it to the inner reality of faith is of no benefit until some measure of that inner faith accompanies it, and every inner reality