Allah commands patience, praises those who are patient, and mentions their rewards in this world and the Hereafter in numerous verses—approximately ninety passages. Patience comprises three types: patiently obeying Allah until one fulfills that obedience completely in every respect; patiently refraining from what Allah has forbidden until one restrains the soul that persistently incites to evil; and patiently enduring Allah’s painful decrees, meeting them with patience and submission, without resentment in one’s heart, bodily conduct, or speech.

Likewise, Allah praises gratitude, mentions the reward of the grateful, and states that they are the most exalted among creation in this world and the Hereafter.

The reality of gratitude is to acknowledge all Allah’s blessings, praise Allah for them, and use them to obey the One who bestowed them.

Allah mentions fear and reverent awe in many places. He enjoins them, praises those who possess them, mentions their reward, and states that they are the ones who benefit from the signs and refrain from what is forbidden.

The reality of fear and reverent awe is that the servant fears his standing before Allah and Allah’s watch over him, and that this fear restrains him from everything Allah has forbidden.

Hope means that the servant hopes for Allah’s all-encompassing mercy and for the mercy He bestows especially upon him. He hopes that Allah will accept the acts of obedience He graciously enabled him to perform and forgive the lapses of which he has repented, and he places his hope in his Lord under every circumstance.

Allah mentions turning to Him in many places, praises those who turn to Him, and commands that He be turned to. Its reality is the heart’s being drawn to Allah in every circumstance. One turns to one’s Lord in times of blessing by showing gratitude to Him, in times of adversity by humbly beseeching Him, and when faced with the soul’s many demands by frequently supplicating Him concerning all one’s affairs. One also turns to one’s Lord by constantly remembering Him at all times.

[Turning to Allah also means returning to Him by repenting of every sin and returning to Him in all one’s deeds and words: one submits them to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, so that one’s deeds and words are weighed on the scale of divine law.] (1)

Allah Most High commands sincerity, praises the sincere, and states that He accepts only deeds performed with sincere devotion.

The reality of sincerity is that the doer seeks through his deed only Allah’s pleasure and reward. Its opposite is showing off and acting for self-serving motives.

Allah prohibits arrogance, condemns arrogance and the arrogant, and mentions their punishments in this world and the Hereafter.

Arrogance consists in rejecting the truth and looking down on people. Its opposite is humility, which Allah has commanded, whose people He has praised, and whose reward He has mentioned. Humility consists in accepting the truth from whoever states it, not looking down on people, recognizing their merits, and wishing for them what one wishes for oneself.

Justice consists in fulfilling the rights of Allah and the rights of His servants.

Injustice is its opposite. It includes a servant wronging himself through sins and associating partners with Allah, as well as wronging others with respect to their lives, property, and honor.

Truthfulness is the complete alignment of one’s outward and inward states in upright adherence to the straight path. Falsehood is the opposite.

Allah’s limits are His prohibitions. Regarding these He says, “These are the limits set by Allah, so do not approach them.” They also refer to what Allah has permitted and declared lawful, ordained, and made obligatory. Regarding these He says, “These are the limits set by Allah, so do not transgress them.”

The trust comprises all matters with which the servant is entrusted. This includes fulfilling the rights of Allah—particularly the hidden ones—as well as the rights of His creation.

Covenants and contracts include those that bind a person to Allah, which require worshiping Allah with religion sincerely devoted to Him, and those between him and other people, such as transactions and the like.