that he said:

“Allah rejoices more at His servant’s repentance than does a man who has lost his mount in a desolate, deadly wilderness, with his food and drink upon it. He searches for it but cannot find it, so he lies down awaiting death. Then, when he wakes, there is his mount, with his food and drink upon it.”

In another narration: “How great do you think his joy at finding it would be?”

They replied: “Immense, O Messenger of Allah!”

He said: “Allah rejoices more at His servant’s repentance than this man does at recovering his mount.”

Likewise, He laughs at two men, one of whom kills the other, yet both enter Paradise. He also laughs at the last person to enter Paradise, who says: “Are You mocking me, when You are the Lord of all worlds?”

He replies: “No, but I have power to do whatever I will.” All of this is in the Sahīh.

The qunūt supplication includes:

“Take me into Your care among those You have taken into Your care.”

It is inconceivable to ask for something that is beginningless. Allah Most High has said:

“My Protector is Allah, Who has sent down the Book, and He takes care of the righteous.”

And He said:

“Allah is the Protector of those who are mindful of Him.”

His taking them into His care is thus a recompense for their righteousness and mindfulness of Him, and results from it; it therefore cannot precede it. Although they became righteous and mindful of Him only through His will, power, bounty and kindness, this care is nevertheless tied to their being mindful of Him and righteous. This indicates that His taking them into His care follows that, just as His being with those who are mindful of Him and righteous, through His help and support, does not precede their becoming mindful of Him and righteous.

The same applies to mercy. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The Most Merciful shows mercy to those who show mercy. Show mercy to those on earth, and the One above the heaven will show mercy to you.”

Al-Tirmidhī said: “An authentic hadith.”

Likewise, His words:

“If you are grateful, He is pleased with that for you.”

He made His pleasure with it dependent upon gratitude, as a consequence depends upon its condition and an effect upon its cause. A consequence only comes after its condition.