to him in attaining His pleasure, it only increased his misery, his distance from Allah, and his banishment from Him. The same applies to anyone who seeks His help in some matter and asks Him for it: if it does not help him obey Allah, it will inevitably distance him from His pleasure and cut him off from Him.

Let the discerning person reflect on this in himself and others. Let him know that Allah’s answering those who ask Him does not mean that every petitioner is honored in His sight. A servant may ask Him for something, and He grants it, though it brings about his ruin and misery. Granting it may be a sign of his low standing before Allah and his fall from His regard, whereas withholding it may be because Allah honors and loves him. He withholds it to protect, safeguard, and preserve him, not out of stinginess. This is how He treats the servant whom He wishes to honor and love, dealing gently with him. Yet, in his ignorance, the servant thinks that Allah neither loves nor honors him. He sees Him fulfilling other people’s needs and so thinks ill of his Lord. This fills his heart, though he is unaware of it. Only those whom Allah protects are kept safe, and man is a witness against himself. A sign of this is his railing against divine decrees and inwardly reproaching them.

As it has been said:

The man of poor judgment lets his opportunity slip away;
Then, when the matter has passed, he blames divine decree.

By Allah, were his innermost thoughts and secrets laid bare, one would find reproach and accusation against divine decree: “Things should have been such and such—but what can I do? The matter is not in my hands.” The discerning person takes himself to task, whereas the ignorant person takes issue with his Lord’s decrees. So beware, most earnestly, of asking Him for a particular thing when you do not know whether it is good for you or what its outcome will be. If you cannot refrain from asking for it, make your request conditional upon His knowing that it is good for you. Before making your request, ask Him to choose what is best for you. Do not seek His choice merely with your tongue, without understanding. Rather, seek it as one who does not know what serves his interests, has no power to secure them, cannot discern their particulars, and possesses no power to harm or benefit himself. Indeed, if left to himself, he would be utterly ruined and his affairs would unravel.

When He gives you something without your asking, ask Him to make it a help to you in obeying Him and a means of attaining His pleasure, not something that cuts you off from Him or distances you from His pleasure. Do not think that everything He gives is because His servant is honored in His sight, or that everything He withholds is because His servant is of little worth in His sight. Rather, His giving