in their hearts to anyone besides Him. This is why the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him:
“Whatever comes to you of this wealth without your asking for it or looking expectantly for it, take it; but do not let your soul pursue what does not come to you.”
The one who asks does so with his tongue, while the one who looks expectantly does so in his heart. This hadith is agreed upon as authentic.
Abū Saʿīd reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Whoever seeks to refrain from asking, Allah will enable him to refrain; whoever seeks independence from others, Allah will grant him independence; and whoever is patient, Allah will grant him patience.”
This hadith is agreed upon as authentic. Thus, true wealth lies in the heart, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Wealth does not lie in having many possessions; rather, true wealth is richness of soul.”
The self-restrained person is one who does not ask with his tongue for either aid or provision. Allah Most High says:
“Who is there to serve as an army for you, helping you besides the Most Merciful? The disbelievers are only deluded. Or who is there to provide for you if He withholds His provision? Yet they persist in insolence and aversion.”
Allah Most High also says:
“But if they turn away, then know that Allah is your Protector. What an excellent Protector and an excellent Helper!”
And He says:
“Strive for Allah as He deserves”—to the end of the surah.
Allah Most High also says:
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
That is, neither in His essence, nor in His attributes, nor in His actions.
Indeed, in His gracious care for His servant and His facilitating for him the means of goodness—guidance for hearts, nearness to Him, and insight—He, glorified and exalted is He, wards off from him the devils among mankind and jinn to an extent His servants cannot fathom. All goodness lies in following the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the unlettered Prophet who “enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong”—to the end of the verse. And most people