For delight, joy, happiness, the sweetness of life, and indescribable bliss are found only in knowing Allah, glorified and exalted is He, affirming His oneness, believing in Him, and having the realities of faith and the insights of the Quran opened to one. As one of the shaykhs said: “I once experienced a state in which I said: ‘If the people of Paradise experience this, they certainly enjoy a good life.’” Another said: “There are times when the heart dances for joy.” No bliss in this world resembles the bliss of the Hereafter except the bliss of faith and knowing Allah.

This is why the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say:

“Give us rest through prayer, O Bilāl.”

He did not say, “Give us rest from it,” as those who find prayer burdensome say. As Allah Most High says:

“And indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive.”

Humble submission means submitting to Allah Most High and finding calm and tranquillity in Him, in both heart and limb.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also used to say:

“Women and perfume have been made dear to me from your world.”

Then he would say:

“And my deepest joy has been placed in prayer.”

He did not say, “Three things from your world have been made dear to me,” as some people attribute to the Prophet. Rather, Imām Ahmad and al-Nasā’ī narrated it as given above: what was made dear to him from this world was women and perfume. As for the deepest joy, it comes from attaining what one seeks, and that is found in prayer.

Hearts are troubled by the whisperings of the self, while Satan urges desires and doubts that spoil the sweetness of their life. Whoever loves something other than Allah is tormented in this world