he may at times turn away from his Lord and act arrogantly. In reality, however, he cannot escape humbling and abasing himself before Him. Yet the believer submits to Him willingly, loving Him and obeying His command, whereas the disbeliever humbles himself before Him only out of desire or fear. Once that passes, he turns away from his Lord, as He says:

“When adversity touches man, he calls upon Us, whether lying on his side, sitting, or standing. But when We remove his adversity, he goes on as though he had never called upon Us concerning the adversity that touched him.”

And He says:

“When adversity touches you at sea, all those you call upon are forgotten except Him. But when He delivers you safely to land, you turn away. Man is ever ungrateful.”

The creature’s need and servitude are intrinsic to it: it cannot exist without them. Dependence is inseparable from all things made and created. By virtue of this, they belong to their Creator and Originator, for they cannot subsist without Him. People differ only in their awareness of this need and utter dependence, or its absence from their hearts.

“Furthermore,” the servant needs Allah as the One he worships and loves with reverence and veneration. He is the ultimate object of his pursuit and desire, and the highest goal of his aspirations. The servant can find no soundness except through this. Love is the source of all movement, and Allah alone deserves to be loved for His own sake. Whoever loves anything alongside Allah associates partners with Him, and his love is corrupt. Sound, beneficial love is only love of Allah and love for Allah’s sake. A person needs Allah both in worshipping Him and in seeking His help, in order to surrender and submit to the One upon whom you depend, who is your Lord and your God.