and to the degree of obedience to the commands of Allah and His Messenger. Whichever of two deeds is better in itself, and whose doer is more obedient and more faithful in following, is superior. Deeds do not surpass one another in merit through quantity; rather, their relative merit depends on what is in the hearts while they are performed. Thus,

“When the sister of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir vowed to perform Hajj barefoot and on foot, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Allah has no need of your sister tormenting herself. Tell her to ride.’”

It is also reported that “he instructed her to offer a sacrificial animal,” and, in another report, “to fast.”

The same applies to the hadith of Juwayriyah, who was glorifying Allah while counting with pebbles or date stones. He visited her in the forenoon, then returned in the late afternoon and found her still doing the same. He said to her:

“After leaving you, I said four phrases three times. Had they been weighed against what you have said today, they would have outweighed it.”

The foundation of this is for the servant to know that Allah has commanded us only to do what brings us good and has forbidden us only what brings us harm. Thus, Allah praises righteous deeds, commands righteousness and reform, and forbids corruption. Allah, glorified be He, has only forbidden us foul things because of the harm and corruption they entail, and has commanded us to perform righteous deeds because of the benefit and good they bring us. Yet these deeds may only be accomplished