concerning something he already knows, he should grasp what the command actually covers and what it does not. Next he must examine himself: Is he fulfilling all of it, part of it, or has he abandoned it altogether?
If he is putting it fully into practice, let him praise Allah, ask Him for steadfastness, and seek an increase in goodness.
But if he is falling short, let him realize that he is accountable for it and bound by it; so he must seek Allah’s help to carry it out and strive against his own soul until he does.
The same method applies when he comes upon a prohibition. He must understand what is meant by it and what falls under the thing Allah has forbidden. Then he should look to himself: if he has already left it, let him thank Allah for enabling him and ask Him to keep him firm in avoiding the prohibited just as he asks for firmness in performing the obligatory. Let his motive for abstention be obedience to Allah, so that his very refraining becomes worship just as his performance of the command is worship.
But if he has not renounced it, let him turn to Allah with a decisive, sincere repentance and hasten to do so. Lowly desires—the inclinations of the soul that incites to evil—must not prevent him from repenting.
Whoever addresses these and similar obligations in this manner is walking upon the Straight Path and the most excellent way of seeking guidance from the Book of Allah, through which he will attain abundant knowledge and a wealth of good.