and be grateful to Allah.” [Surah al-Baqarah 172]

He also says:

“Eat of the good things and do righteous deeds.” [Surah al-Mu’minūn 51]

In the hadith recorded by both al-Bukhārī and Muslim, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to Sa‘d: “You will never spend anything seeking Allah’s countenance without thereby increasing in rank and standing—even the morsel you raise to your wife’s mouth.”

He also said: “When one of you has intercourse with his wife, it is an act of charity.”

The same applies to praising Him for His blessings, as stated in the authentic hadith: “Allah is indeed pleased with a servant who eats a meal and praises Him for it.”

Had he said, “Allah created desires and pleasures within us so that we might use them to attain our welfare in full. He created within us the desire for food and the pleasure of eating it: this is itself a blessing, and through it our bodies are sustained in this world. The same holds for sexual desire and its pleasure; through them, offspring are perpetuated. Thus, if these faculties are used to assist in