love for Allah and His Messenger, reliance upon Allah, sincere devotion to Him alone, gratitude to Him, patience with His decree, fear of Him, hope in Him, and related matters. One of the believers whose rights Allah has made binding requested these remarks and asked me to write them down, while both of us were pressed for time.

I say:

All these deeds are obligatory upon all created beings—those who are, in principle, subject to divine commands—by the consensus of the leading scholars of religion. People fall into “three ranks” with regard to these deeds, just as they fall into “three ranks” with regard to bodily deeds: those who wrong themselves, those who follow a middle course, and those who are foremost in good deeds.

Those who wrong themselves are those who sin by neglecting something commanded or doing something forbidden.

Those who follow a middle course fulfil their obligations and refrain from prohibited acts.

Those who are foremost in good deeds draw near to Allah by performing whatever obligatory and recommended deeds they can, and by refraining from prohibited and disliked acts.

Nevertheless, both those who follow a middle course and those who are foremost may have sins that are erased: through repentance—and Allah loves those who repent and those who purify themselves—or through good deeds that erase sins, afflictions that expiate them, or other means.

Both groups—those who follow a middle course and those who are foremost—are among the friends of Allah whom He mentions in His Book, saying:

“Indeed, the friends of Allah will have no fear, nor will they grieve.”

“Those who believe and are mindful of Him.”

Thus, the friends of Allah are defined as the believers who are mindful of Him. This, however, is divided into a “general” category, comprising those who follow a middle course,