to it, saying, “It is superior to the rank of knowledge and worship.” They therefore regarded detachment from worldly life as the ultimate aim and pinnacle of all worship.

Their elite, however, regarded this as a means to another end: keeping the heart devoted to Allah, directing all its concern towards Him, freeing it to love Him, turning to Him, relying upon Him, and pursuing His pleasure. They therefore held that the best worship consisted in maintaining an undivided focus on Allah, remembering Him constantly with heart and tongue, and remaining mindful of His watchfulness, rather than engaging in anything that distracts and scatters the heart.

These, in turn, fall into two groups. Those among them who know Allah and follow His guidance hasten to obey any command or prohibition that comes to them, even if doing so scatters their attention and disrupts their undivided focus. Those who have strayed, however, say, “The purpose of worship is to focus the heart entirely on Allah.” Thus, if something comes that would divert the heart from Allah, they pay it no heed.

One of them may even say:

“Regular devotions are required of the heedless;
but what of a heart whose every moment is devotion?”

These, too, fall into two groups: some abandon obligatory duties to preserve their undivided focus, while others perform those duties but abandon recommended practices, voluntary acts of worship, and the pursuit of beneficial knowledge for the sake of that focus.

They put this question to a shaykh who knew Allah: “When the caller gives the call to prayer while I am wholly focused on Allah, getting up and going out scatters my attention, whereas remaining as I am preserves my focus. Which is better for me?”

He replied, “When the caller gives the call to prayer, even if you are beneath the Throne, get up and answer Allah’s caller, then return to your place.” This is because undivided focus on Allah is the portion enjoyed by the spirit and heart, whereas answering the caller is the Lord’s right. Whoever gives preference to his spirit’s portion over his Lord’s right is not among the people of “You alone we worship.”

The third group held that the most beneficial and excellent forms of worship were those whose benefits extended to others. They considered these superior to acts whose benefits were confined to the worshipper. Thus, they held that serving the poor and attending to the welfare of