Allah, he follows his desires, especially when seeking something he has not obtained. His soul continues to seek something that will give it relief and dispel its distress and sorrow, yet it lacks the remembrance and worship of Allah in which it could find comfort and rest. He therefore seeks relief in forbidden things: acts of indecency, drinking forbidden substances, false speech, recounting personal happenings, jesting and play, keeping bad company, and other such things. Yet the heart finds sufficiency only through worshipping Allah Most High.
The human being was created needing to obtain what benefits him and ward off what harms him. His soul constantly desires something, and it must have an ultimate object of desire in which it can find rest and reassurance. This can be none other than Allah alone: hearts find reassurance only in Him, and souls find rest only in turning to Him. And:
“Had there been gods in the heavens and the earth besides Allah, both would have fallen into ruin.”
Thus, every object of worship besides Him brings corruption, and hearts can be set right only by worshipping Allah alone, without any partner.
When hearts do not devote their religion sincerely to Allah, they worship others besides Him—gods that most people worship and have chosen for themselves. They thereby associate partners with Allah by worshipping others and seeking their help. They worship and seek help from others because they do not know the happiness they can attain by worshipping their Creator and seeking His help. Through worshipping Him, they have no need of another object of worship; through seeking His help, they have no need to seek help from creation.
If the servant is not like this, he remains sinful and needy. His sufficiency lies only in obedience to his Lord. This is the human condition: he is poor and needy, and, at the same time, sinful and prone to error. He therefore cannot do without his Lord, for it is He who bestows his maghāfir; and he must seek forgiveness for his sins. Allah Most High says:
“So know that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and seek forgiveness for your sin.”
Through affirming Allah’s oneness, the servant gains strength and sufficiency. Whoever wishes to be the strongest of people should put his trust in Allah. Through seeking forgiveness, he receives Allah’s forgiveness, and Allah averts His punishment from him:
“Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.”
Thus the servant’s poverty and need are not dispelled