without associating anything with Him, he is a monotheist.

Part of affirming Allah’s oneness and worshipping Him is placing one’s trust in Him, setting one’s hope on Him, and fearing Him. Through this, the servant frees himself from associating partners with Allah. By giving people their due rights and refraining from aggression against them, he frees himself from wronging them and from associating them as partners with Allah.

By obeying his Lord and avoiding disobedience to Him, the servant frees himself from wronging himself. Allah Most High has said in a sacred hadith:

“I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves.”

Both halves benefit the servant. Likewise, in the hadith narrated by al-Tabarānī in al-Duʿāʾ (Supplication):

“O My servants, there are only four matters: one for Me, one for you, one between Me and you, and one between you and My creation. What is for Me is that you worship Me without associating anything with Me. What is for you is your work: I will reward you for it when you are most in need of it. What is between Me and you is that you supplicate and I answer. What is between you and My creation is that you treat them as you would like them to treat you.”

Allah loves both halves, and He loves that they worship Him. The help and guidance Allah gives the servant are from His bounty and kindness, and they are a means to what He loves. He loves them only because they provide a path to worshipping Him. The servant first seeks what he needs: he needs help in worship and guidance to the straight path, and through these he attains worship. Thus, he first seeks what he needs so that he may use it to attain what his Lord loves, wherein lies his happiness.

The same applies to His words:

“Your work: I will reward you for it when you are most in need of it.”

For the servant loves the reward that is the recompense for his work. The servant therefore works only for himself:

“It will have the good it has earned, and bear the evil it has earned.”

Then, when he seeks to worship, he seeks it only insofar as it benefits him, brings him happiness, and protects him from his Lord’s punishment. A servant never seeks anything except that which holds some benefit for him. Even if his Lord loves it, he seeks it insofar as it suits him. Whoever worships Allah without associating anything with Him, Allah loves and rewards him. Thus there comes