Thus, the human being—and every created being—is inherently dependent upon Allah. This dependence is inseparable from his very being: he cannot be anything but dependent upon his Creator. None is self-sufficient except Allah alone. He is al-Samad (the One on whom all depend), who has no need of anything besides Himself, while everything besides Him needs Him. The servant needs Allah both as his Lord and as his God, as has been explained at length elsewhere. The human being continually sins; he is both needy and sinful. His Lord, Most High, shows him mercy and forgives him, for He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Were it not for His mercy and goodness, no good would exist at all, either in this world or in the Hereafter. Were it not for His forgiveness, the servant could not protect himself from the evil consequences of his sins. He constantly needs blessings to come to him and harm and evil to be averted. Blessings come only through His mercy, and evil is averted only through His forgiveness, for the sins of His servants are the sole cause of evil. As Allah, Most High, says:

“Whatever good befalls you is from Allah, and whatever evil befalls you is from yourself.”

Here, “evil” means the calamities that distress the servant, and “good” means the blessings that bring him joy. As He says:

“We tested them with good things and bad.”

Blessings, mercy, and good all come from Allah through His grace and generosity, without anyone having, in his own right, any claim upon Him. Even if His servants have a right upon Him, Most High, that is a right He Himself has established as binding upon Himself. It does not originate with the created being, but with Allah, as has been explained at length elsewhere.

Calamities occur because of the servants’ sins and deeds. As He says:

“Whatever calamity befalls you is because of what your own hands have earned, and He pardons much.”

Even when blessings result from acts of obedience that the servant performs and for which Allah rewards him, He, glorified be He, is the One who bestows the servant’s very being, his obedience, and his reward for it. For He, glorified be He, created the servant and made him an obedient Muslim. As Allah’s intimate friend said:

“The One who created me, and who guides me.”

And he said: “And make us both submissive