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He then concluded the hadith by affirming the justice and kindness He had explained within it, saying:

“My servants, it is only your deeds that I record for you, then recompense you for in full. Whoever finds good, let him praise Allah; whoever finds otherwise, let him blame no one but himself.”

He thus made clear that, in rewarding His servants for their righteous deeds, He shows them kindness for which He deserves praise. For He is the One who favors them by commanding these deeds, guiding them to them, and helping them perform them, then recording them and granting their reward in full. All of this is bounty and kindness from Him, for every blessing from Him is bounty, and every punishment from Him is justice.

Although He has prescribed mercy for Himself, and helping the believers is incumbent upon Him—as explained earlier—this obligation is not like the obligations people owe one another, whose fulfillment constitutes justice rather than bounty. Such obligations arise because one person has shown kindness to another and thereby become entitled to recompense; that kindness was accomplished through the benefactor’s power, not the recipient’s. Thus, when two parties exchange equivalent benefits, neither can be singled out as conferring favor upon the other, since they are on an equal footing.

He has explained in the hadith that His servants will never be able to harm Him, nor will they ever be able to benefit Him. It is therefore impossible for anyone to have a right over Him in his own right. Rather, He Himself has made that right binding upon Himself through His words. He is thus beneficent both in bestowing His bounty and in making it binding