frequently seeks Allah’s forgiveness, Allah will grant him relief from every worry, a way out of every difficulty, and provision from where he does not expect.”

The point is that Allah has not commanded reliance upon Him alone. Alongside reliance, He has commanded worship of Him and fear of Him, which entails doing what He has commanded and refraining from what He has warned against. Whoever thinks that he can please his Lord by relying upon Him without doing what he has been commanded is misguided, just as whoever thinks he can do what earns Allah’s pleasure without relying upon Him is misguided. Rather, performing the worship that Allah has commanded is obligatory.

When the term “worship” is used without qualification, it includes reliance upon Allah. When the two are mentioned together, reliance has its own distinct designation. The same applies to comparable expressions, such as fearing Allah and obeying the Messenger: when “fearing Allah” is used without qualification, it includes obeying the Messenger. Yet one may also be conjoined with the other, as in the words of Noah, peace be upon him:

“Worship Allah.”

Likewise, Allah says:

“Fear Allah and speak upright words.”

There are other similar examples.

Allah has coupled worship of Him with reliance upon Him in several places, as in His words, Most High:

“Say: He is my Lord; there is no deity worthy of worship except Him. In Him I put my trust, and to Him is my return.”

And in the words of Shuʿayb:

“In Him I put my trust, and to Him I turn.”

For turning to Allah and returning to Him in repentance mean returning to Him through worshipping Him, obeying Him, and obeying His Messenger. A servant cannot be obedient to Allah and His Messenger—let alone be among His chosen, God-fearing allies—unless he does what He has commanded and refrains from what He has forbidden. Reliance upon Allah is included in this.