the first is that none but Allah should be worshipped; the second is that He should be worshipped through what He has commanded and prescribed, not through innovations.

Allah Most High says:

“So whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do righteous deeds and associate no one in the worship of his Lord.”

And He says:

“Yes, whoever submits himself to Allah while doing good will have his reward with his Lord. No fear will be upon them, nor will they grieve.”

And He says:

“And who is better in religion than one who submits himself to Allah while doing good and follows the religion of Abraham, upright in faith? And Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend.”

Righteous action means doing good—that is, performing good deeds. “Good deeds” are those that Allah and His Messenger love: whatever He has commanded as obligatory or recommended. Religious innovations that have not been prescribed are loved neither by Allah nor by His Messenger, so they are neither good deeds nor righteous actions. Likewise, committing forbidden acts, such as indecencies and injustice, is neither a good deed nor a righteous action.

As for His words:

“And associate no one in the worship of his Lord,”

and His words:

“Submits himself to Allah,”

these mean devoting one’s religion sincerely to Allah alone. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb used to say: “O Allah, make all my deeds righteous, make them sincerely for Your sake, and give no one else any share in them.”

Regarding His words:

“To test you as to which of you is best in deeds,”

al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyād said: “The most sincere and the most correct.” They asked: “Abū ‘Alī, what does ‘the most sincere and the most correct’ mean?” He replied: