(217–220) “Put your trust in the Almighty, the Most Merciful, who sees you when you rise and your movements among those who prostrate. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.”

The greatest aid to a servant in fulfilling what he has been commanded is to rely upon his Lord and seek his Master’s help in granting him success to carry it out. Allah Most High therefore commanded him to place his trust in Him, saying, “Put your trust in the Almighty, the Most Merciful.” Trust means the heart’s reliance upon Allah Most High to secure benefits and ward off harm, together with trusting Him and confidently expecting the desired outcome. He is Almighty and Most Merciful: by His might, He is able to bring good to His servant and ward off evil from him, and by His mercy toward him, He does so.

Allah then directed him to seek help by remaining conscious of His nearness and attaining the station of ihsān (spiritual excellence), saying, “who sees you when you rise and your movements among those who prostrate.” That is, He sees you during this magnificent act of worship—prayer—when you stand and as you move between bowing and prostrating. He singled prayer out because of its excellence and noble status, and because whoever remains conscious of his Lord’s nearness during it becomes humble and submissive and performs it perfectly. By perfecting it, all his other deeds are perfected, and through it he seeks help in all his affairs.

“Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing” of every sound, despite their differences, dispersion, and variety; “the All-Knowing,” whose knowledge encompasses all that is outward and inward, the unseen and the witnessed. Thus, a servant’s constant awareness that Allah sees him in every state, hears everything he says, and knows the concerns, resolves, and intentions concealed within his heart helps him attain the station of ihsān.