and he is the one most entitled to our prayers and salutations.

As for His words, “and deems himself self-sufficient,” this means that a person relies on his own power, claiming—God forbid—that he has no need of Allah’s mercy. Consequently, he neither acts nor abides by Allah’s command.

“and denies what is most true” refers to rejecting the fairest statement, the word of truth, namely everything contained in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ.

“We shall ease him toward hardship” signifies that matters which are easy for the God-fearing become difficult for him. Acts of obedience do not come easily: prayer feels burdensome, giving charity is burdensome, fasting is burdensome, the pilgrimage is burdensome—everything weighs heavily upon him.

“And his wealth will be of no benefit to him when he falls headlong” (Al-Layl 92:11). In other words, of what use will his wealth be to him when he perishes? The answer is: none whatsoever. The very riches over which he was miserly will neither shield him from Allah’s punishment nor bring him any benefit.

The second verse the author cites concerns avarice: “Whoever is protected from the greed of his own soul—it is such as these who are the successful” (At-Taghābun 64:16). That is, the one whom Allah protects from the covetousness of his soul so that he does not crave what is not his—such a person is truly successful.

1/563 – Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Beware of wrongdoing, for wrongdoing will be layers of darkness on the Day of Resurrection; and beware of greed, for greed destroyed those who came before you: it drove them to shed one another’s blood and to violate what Allah had made sacred.” Narrated by Muslim.