Most High hears and sees and is Ever-Near, exalted be He, even though He is above the heavens; yet He surrounds all things in His knowledge and power. Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The seven heavens and the seven earths in the hand of the All-Merciful are no more than a mustard seed in the palm of one of you.” In other words, the whole of the heavens and the earth are insignificant when compared to Allah, glorified and exalted is He. He encompasses everything and is above everything.

From this we learn that a person should not subject himself to hardship in acts of worship—neither in performing them nor in maintaining them. Thus, when the Prophet ﷺ was informed that ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them) had declared, out of his keen desire for righteousness, “For as long as I live I shall stand in prayer every night, and for as long as I live I shall fast every day”—meaning he wished to fast every day and pray all night—the Prophet ﷺ summoned him and asked, “Are you the one who said this?” He replied, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “You will not be able to keep that up.” He then instructed him to fast three days of every month and to pray some of the night and sleep some. ʿAbd Allah said, “I am capable of more than that.” The Prophet ﷺ continued with him until he concluded, “Fast one day and break the fast one day.” ʿAbd Allah responded, “I can do more than that.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “There is nothing better than this; it is the fast of David, peace be upon him—he would fast one day and break the fast the next so that the day of eating would strengthen him.”