genuine seeking of Allah’s help, reliance upon Him, and patience. Others are mindful only of “divine decree,” and so possess a degree of seeking Allah’s help, reliance upon Him, and patience that the former lack. Yet they do not adhere to the commands of Allah and His Messenger, follow His revealed law, or hold fast to the religion taught by the Quran and Sunnah. These people seek Allah’s help but do not worship Him, while those mentioned before them wish to worship Him but do not seek His help. The believer both worships Him and seeks His help.

The fourth category is the worst: those who neither worship Him nor seek His help. They are aligned neither with His revealed commands nor with His universal decree. This division into categories concerns what precedes a decreed event—such as reliance upon Allah and seeking His help—and what follows it—such as patience and contentment.

With regard to piety, which is obedience to the religious command, and patience in bearing what is decreed for a person by the universal decree, people fall into four categories:

The first comprises those who possess both piety and patience. These are the people whom Allah has blessed, those who enjoy felicity in this world and the Hereafter.

The second comprises those who possess a measure of piety but lack patience, such as those who fulfil their obligations of prayer and the like and refrain from forbidden things, but when one of them is afflicted