the prayer.

Likewise, Allah the Exalted says, “Establish the prayer, for the prayer restrains indecency and wrongdoing” (al-ʿAnkabut 29:45). So examine your own prayer: when you perform it, do you sense within yourself a loathing for indecency, for wrongdoing, and for disobedience? Or does the prayer fail to benefit you in this regard?

If you grasp these points and recognize the outcomes of these righteous deeds, you will have taken to heart the admonition with which the Prophet ﷺ instructed you.

Another example is zakah: the obligatory levy on zakatable assets that a person disburses in the channels Allah has designated. Allah has clarified its benefits, and He said to His Messenger, “Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to grow” (al-Tawbah 9:103). Therefore, when you pay zakah, look closely: has this zakah purified you of base qualities? Has it cleansed you of sins? Has it increased the blessing of your wealth? Has it refined your soul?

Many people give zakah as though it were a fine, paying it begrudgingly—may Allah grant us well-being—without feeling that it is purifying their inner selves. The same applies to all other acts: rise for Allah, and then reflect on what has ensued.

This is a tremendous admonition; if a person heeds it, it will benefit him and set his affairs aright. We ask Allah to rectify our deeds and our conditions.

The author—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—then quoted the Almighty’s words: “Indeed, in the creation of…"