the one who has truly been favored. Yet the Prophet ﷺ made it plain that the person worthy of envy is the one who has obtained either of these two gifts.

The first is someone to whom Allah, exalted be He, has granted wisdom—namely, the Quran. He lives by it during the hours of the night and the hours of the day. Allah has given him the Quran; he has memorized it, understood it, and acts upon it night and day. He reflects: What has Allah said about prayer? He reads, “Establish prayer,” and so he establishes it. What has He said about alms? He reads, “And give zakah,” and so he pays it. What has He said about parents? He sees the verse, “Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, and be good to parents,” and so he treats them kindly. What has He said about maintaining family ties? He reads, “Those who maintain what Allah has commanded to be joined,” and so he keeps the ties of kinship. What has He said about neighbors? He finds, “The neighbor who is near of kin and the distant neighbor,” and so on. You will find him acting on the Quran day and night. That is genuine admiration, true spoils, real fortune.

The second is a man whom Allah has enriched with wealth. He spends it during the hours of the night and the day—that is, in the cause of Allah and in whatever pleases Him. Anything that pleases Allah, he puts his money into it: building mosques, giving charity to the poor, supporting those who strive in Allah’s path, relieving the distressed, and other good works. In short, he finds no avenue that brings him nearer to Allah without devoting his wealth to it.