he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Through Me he hears, through Me he sees, through Me he strikes, and through Me he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give him; if he seeks My protection, I will surely protect him. I have never hesitated over anything I am going to do as I hesitate over taking the soul of My believing servant: he dislikes death, and I dislike causing him distress, yet he must undergo it.’”

He thus tells us that His servant continues to draw near to Him through voluntary acts of worship until He loves him. Then He says: “When I love him, I become such and such.” This shows that His love for His servant comes only after the servant does what He loves.

The Quran also indicates this. Allah Most High says:

“Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.”

The words “Allah will love you” express the consequence of the command “follow me.” This is equivalent to the consequence of a condition, which is why the verb is in the jussive mood. This is the reward for their deed—following the Messenger: He rewards them for that by loving them. The consequence of a condition, the reward for a deed, and the effect of a cause can only come afterward, not beforehand. This is like His words, Most High:

“Call upon Me; I will answer you.”

And His words, Most High:

“O our people, respond to Allah’s caller and believe in Him; He will forgive you your sins and protect you from a painful punishment.”

And His words, Most High:

“Be mindful of Allah and speak rightly.”

“He will set your deeds right for you and forgive you your sins.”

There are many such examples. Likewise, He says:

“Fulfil your treaty with them until its appointed term. Indeed, Allah loves those who are mindful of Him.”

And He says:

“Why do you say what you do not do?”

“It is greatly abhorrent to Allah that you say what you do not do.”

“Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in ranks, as though they were a solidly joined structure.”

They had asked him: “If we knew which deed was most beloved to Allah, we would do it.”

And His words:

“Those who disbelieved will be told, ‘Allah’s abhorrence of you was greater than your abhorrence of yourselves when