both righteousness in his deeds and their dedication to Allah Most High. As Allah Most High says:

“So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous deeds and associate no one in the worship of his Lord.”
Al-Kahf 18:110

This is also expressed in the words of ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him: “O Allah, make all my deeds righteous, make them sincerely for Your sake, and let no one else have any share in them.”

Righteous action is doing good: performing good deeds, which are what Allah has commanded. What Allah has commanded is what He has prescribed, and it accords with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Allah Most High has thus declared that whoever devotes his intention sincerely to Allah and does good in his deeds deserves reward and is safe from punishment.

For this reason, the leading scholars of the early generations, may Allah have mercy on them, would bring these two principles together. An example is the statement of al-Fudayl ibn ʿIyād concerning the words of Allah Most High:

“that He may test you