and His withholding are trials and tests by which He tests His servants. Allah Most High says (89:25 and 16):

“As for man, when his Lord tests him by honoring him and granting him blessings, he says, ‘My Lord has honored me.’ But when He tests him by restricting his provision, he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me.’ No!”

That is, not everyone to whom I give, whom I bless, and whom I endow with possessions has thereby been honored by Me. This is not because of his honored standing before Me; rather, it is a trial and a test from Me: will he thank Me, so that I give him still more, or will he be ungrateful to Me, so that I take it away from him and bestow it upon someone else?

Nor is everyone whom I test by restricting his provision, allowing him only a measured amount with nothing to spare, thereby of little worth in My sight. Rather, this is a trial and a test from Me: will he be patient, so that I give him many times over what he missed of abundant provision, or will he be resentful, so that displeasure becomes his lot?

Thus Allah, Glorified is He, refuted those who suppose that abundant provision signifies honor and poverty signifies humiliation. He said: I have not tested My servant with wealth because of his honored standing before Me, nor have I tested him with poverty because he is of little worth in My sight.

He thus made it known that honor and humiliation do not depend on wealth, abundant provision, or its restriction. He grants abundance to the disbeliever, but not to honor him, and restricts the believer’s provision, but not to humiliate him. Rather, those whom He honors, He honors through knowing Him, loving Him, and obeying Him; and those whom He humiliates, He humiliates through their turning away from Him and disobeying Him. To Him belongs all praise in either case. He is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy.

Happiness in this world and the Hereafter thus comes down to: “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”

Section

The third category consists of those who engage in a form of worship without seeking Allah’s help. These are of two types.

The first are the Qadariyyah, who maintain that Allah has already bestowed upon the servant every gracious aid within His power, and that no further help enabling him to act remains within His power. He has already helped him by creating his faculties, making them sound, showing him the way, sending messengers, and enabling him to act. Beyond this, no further help remains within His power that the servant could ask of Him. Rather, He has provided His allies and His enemies with equal assistance, helping the former just as He helped the latter. His allies, however, chose faith for themselves, while His enemies chose disbelief for themselves, without Allah, Glorified is He, having granted success