righteous deeds.” As He says:

“Indeed, mankind is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous deeds and counsel one another to truth and counsel one another to patience.”

Here, however, He mentions only loss, so He describes those excepted as counselling one another to truth and patience, in addition to their faith and righteousness. There, He mentions “the lowest of the low,” which is punishment. A believer who acts righteously will not be punished, even if he has neglected certain things and thereby lost them; had he preserved them, he would have gained rather than lost. A fuller discussion of this belongs elsewhere.

The point here is that He, glorified be He, mentions the creation of man both in general terms and in detail. At times, He mentions giving him life, as in His statement, Most High:

“How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He gave you life? Then He will cause you to die, then bring you back to life, and then to Him you will be returned.”

This is like the statement of His intimate friend, peace be upon him:

“My Lord is the One who gives life and causes death.”

For the creation of life, together with all that it entails and presupposes, is greater and more clearly demonstrates power, blessing, and wisdom.