, which is knowledge of the governance that pervades all creation, as He—mighty and majestic—says:

“When We intend something, all We say to it is, ‘Be,’ and it is.”

When the servant fully realizes this inward witnessing, and Allah enables him to do so without its obscuring the first, he possesses true understanding of his servitude. These two forms of inward witnessing are the foundation upon which religion rests. Every inward witnessing of mercy, kindness, generosity and beauty falls within the witnessing of lordship.

For this reason, it has been said that this verse encompasses all the secrets of the Quran:

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”

Its first part entails worshipping Him by observing His commands and prohibitions, with love, fear and hope, as we have mentioned. Its latter part entails servitude to Him through entrusting one’s affairs to Him, submission and relinquishing one’s own choice. All forms of servitude fall within this.

Whoever loses sight of both this inward witnessing and the first, and sees Allah—mighty and majestic—watching over all things, watching over every soul and what it has earned, disposing of all things and ruling over them, then sees everything proceeding from Him through the execution of His decree and His all-powerful will, becomes so absorbed in what he perceives that he loses all discernment and distinction, nullifies commands, prohibitions and prophethood, and passes out of Islam as an arrow passes through its quarry.

If, however, this inward witnessing has overwhelmed him and deprived him of reason because of the overpowering force with which it comes upon him, and because his insight is too weak to bring the two forms of witnessing together, then he is excused, though deficient—unlike one who combines both: the command prescribing religious obligations and the witnessing of the command governing creation in accordance with the divine will.

Many who tread the spiritual path have stumbled in this inward witnessing because of their limited knowledge of what Allah sent His messengers with. This is because they worshipped Allah according to what they wanted from Him, becoming so absorbed in their own desire that they lost sight of what the Truth—mighty and majestic—wanted from them. For the Truth grants sufficiency through what He wills and loves. Had they worshipped Allah according to what He wills