and what obligatory acts he has actually performed, and what prohibitions he has managed to avoid, so that he may set his own soul aright.

As for the helpless one (al-ʿājiz), he is the person who lets his soul follow its cravings: whatever his soul desires he pursues, and whatever it dislikes he abandons—whether that conforms to Allah’s law or not. Such is the helpless person, and how many helpless people there are today who follow the whims of their souls, pay no heed to violating the Book and the Sunnah, and feel no concern for it. We ask Allah to guide us and them.

His words, “and merely entertains wishful hopes about Allah,” mean that he keeps saying, “Allah will forgive me; I’ll straighten up later; I’ll fulfill my obligations later; I’ll quit this sin later,” or he says, “Allah will guide me.” If you advise him, he replies, “Pray that Allah guides me,” and the like. Such a person is helpless.

By contrast, the intelligent one (al-kayyis) is the person who acts with resolve and seriousness, calls himself to account, and possesses strength when it comes to the commands, the religion, and the law of Allah, so that he can keep his own soul under control. Otherwise, Allah says in His Book about the wife of al-ʿAzīz: “Yet I do not acquit myself, for the soul is ever inciting to evil unless my Lord shows mercy” (Yusuf 12:53). We ask Allah to envelop us and you in His mercy and to aid us and you in remembering Him, thanking Him, and worshipping Him in the best manner.

With all praise due to Allah Almighty, this concludes the first volume; by Allah’s permission the second volume will follow.