faith, while the disbelievers did not, is likewise one of His blessings. As Allah Most High says:

“But Allah has endeared faith to you and made it beautiful in your hearts, and has made disbelief, defiance, and disobedience hateful to you. Those are the rightly guided.”

“As a bounty and blessing from Allah.”

All the good that creation enjoys in this world and the Hereafter is purely a blessing from Him, without any prior cause that would give them a right to it. They have no power or strength of their own except through Him. He is the Creator of their very selves, their righteous deeds, and the recompense. Thus, His statement,

“Whatever good befalls you is from Allah,”

is true in every respect, outwardly and inwardly, according to the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah. As for “misfortune,” it occurs only because of the servant’s sin, and his sin stems from himself. Allah did not say, “I did not decree that or create it.” Rather, He told people what would benefit them.

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When the servant reflects, he realizes that the good he enjoys comes from Allah’s bounty, so he thanks Allah. Allah then grants him still more of His bounty: righteous deeds and blessings that He lavishes upon him.