that He is the One petitioned, whose help is sought, and in whom trust is placed. He is his God, and he has no deity worthy of worship except Him; He is his Lord, and he has no lord besides Him. His servitude to Allah is complete only through these two aspects. Whenever he loves something other than Allah for its own sake, or looks to something other than Allah to help him, he becomes a servant of what he loves and of what he places his hope in, in proportion to his love and hope.

But if he loves none but Allah for His own sake, loves everything else only for His sake, and never places his hope in anything but Allah; and if, whatever means he employs or acquires, he remains conscious that Allah created and ordained them, and that Allah is the Lord, Sovereign, and Creator of everything in the heavens and the earth, all of which stands in need of Him—then he has attained completeness in his servitude to Allah in proportion to the share of this he has been granted.

People differ greatly in their degrees of attainment in this regard, across a range that only Allah can fully encompass. Those who are most perfect, best, highest in rank, closest to Allah, strongest, and best guided are those whose servitude to Allah is most complete in this respect.

This is the true essence of the religion of Islam with which He sent His messengers and revealed His Books: that the servant submit to Allah and to no other. Whoever submits to Him and to another associates partners with Him, while whoever refuses to submit to Him is arrogant. It is authentically reported from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“No one with an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise, just as