Thus, anyone whose heart and deeds resemble those of the Tatars resembles them in this respect. Whatever Islam he possesses or outwardly professes is comparable to whatever Islam they possess or outwardly profess. Indeed, among those who outwardly profess Islam, other than the warring Tatars, are people whose apostasy is greater, whose character is more rooted in pre-Islamic ignorance, and who are further removed from Islamic character than the Tatars themselves. An authentic report relates that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would say in his sermons:

“The best speech is the speech of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst matters are those newly introduced into religion, and every innovation is misguidance.”

Since the best speech is the speech of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, the closer anyone is to these and the more closely he conforms to them, the nearer he is to perfection and the more deserving he is of it. The further anyone is from them and the less he resembles them, the further he is from perfection and the more deserving he is of falsehood. The person of perfect character is the one who is most obedient to Allah and most patient with whatever befalls him. The more closely he follows what Allah and His Messenger command, the more fully he conforms to what Allah loves and is pleased with, and the more patiently he bears what Allah has decreed and ordained, the more complete and virtuous he is. Whoever falls short in these two qualities is deficient to the extent that he falls short.

Allah Most High has mentioned “patience and piety” together in several places in His Book. He has explained that through them a servant gains victory over his enemies among the hostile, obstinate disbelievers and the hypocrites, as well as over any Muslims who wrong him, and that the ultimate outcome favours the one who possesses these qualities,