of Allah in “two respects”: in worship, which is the final cause, and in seeking help and placing trust in Him, which is the efficient cause. The heart cannot be sound or prosper, nor find pleasure, joy, well-being, rest, or reassurance, except by worshipping its Lord, loving Him, and turning to Him. Even if it obtained every created thing that gives it pleasure, it would find neither reassurance nor rest, for it has an inherent need for its Lord as the One it worships, loves, and seeks. Through this it attains joy, happiness, pleasure, bliss, rest, and reassurance.
Yet it can attain this only through Allah’s help; none but Allah can bring it about for the heart. Thus, it constantly needs the reality expressed in:
“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”
For even if a person were helped to obtain what he loves, seeks, craves, and desires, yet did not attain the worship of Allah—making Him the ultimate object of his desire, his highest aim, and the primary object of his love, loving everything else only for His sake and loving nothing for its own sake except Allah—then, without this, he would not have realized the true meaning of “There is no god worthy of worship but Allah,” nor truly attained monotheism, servitude, and love. His deficiency and imperfection—indeed, his pain, regret, and torment—would be proportionate to that failure.
Even if he strove to attain this goal, he would not attain it unless he sought Allah’s help, placed his trust in Him, and acknowledged his need for Him in attaining it. For whatever Allah wills comes to pass, and whatever He does not will does not come to pass. Thus, he needs Allah in that He is the One sought, loved, desired, and worshipped, and in