“Indeed, I have put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” That is, He is my Lord, so He will neither abandon me nor let me come to harm; and He is your Lord, so He will neither give you power over me nor protect you from me! Your forelocks are in His hand: you can do nothing without His will. Indeed, the forelock of every creature is in His hand; none can move without His permission. He governs them all. Yet in governing them, directing their movements, and carrying out His decree and predestination concerning them, He is on a straight path. Whatever He does in this regard accords with wisdom, justice, and benefit. Even if He were to give you power over me, His wisdom in doing so would warrant praise, for this would be an act of the One who is on a straight path, who neither wrongs anyone nor does anything aimlessly, without wisdom.
Such, then, is knowledge of Allah—not the conception held by the Magian Qadarīs and the determinist Qadarīs, who deny wisdom, benefit, and purpose in His acts. Allah, glorified is He, is the One who grants success.
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The seeker of the straight path seeks something from which most people turn away, wishing to follow a road on which companions are exceedingly few. Since souls naturally feel lonely in separation and find comfort in companionship, Allah, glorified is He, draws attention to the companions on this road: those who follow it will be with those “whom Allah has blessed: the prophets, the steadfastly truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. What excellent companions they are!”
He thus associates the path with the companions who travel it—those whom He has blessed—to dispel the loneliness felt by someone seeking guidance and wishing to follow this path when he stands apart from his contemporaries and fellow human beings. He is to know that his companions on this path are those whom Allah has blessed. He should therefore pay no heed to the opposition of those who turn away from it. They are lesser in worth, even if greater in number. As one of the early scholars said: “Keep to the path of truth, and do not feel lonely because so few travel it. Beware of the path of falsehood, and do not be deceived by the multitude of those who perish.”
Whenever you feel lonely in your solitude, look to the companions who have gone before you, strive to join them, and turn your gaze away from everyone else. They can avail you nothing against Allah. If they shout at you as you make your way, do not turn towards them: if you do, they will seize you and hinder you. I have set out two illustrations for you, so keep them in mind.