wells, draw the water out, sow grain, plant trees, and the like.

Thus, seeking provision is done both verbally and practically. The practical side has two branches: first, righteous action; second, tangible, material means such as ploughing, digging wells, and the like.

As for His words—exalted is His remembrance—“fa-istaṭʿimūnī aṭʿimkum” (“So ask Me for food and I shall feed you”), this is the answer to an implied conditional clause, or the response to the command contained within that condition. Put simply: when you ask Allah for sustenance, Allah will feed you. Yet requesting provision from Allah demands something vital—having a good opinion of Allah, majestic and exalted is He—confident that if you seek food from Him, He will grant it. If you supplicate while heedless and distracted, or rely on your own strength rather than on your Lord while taking the worldly means, you may be left to yourself—Allah forbid. Therefore, seek provision from Allah alone and devote your request exclusively to Him.

He also says: “O My servants, all of you are naked except those I clothe; so ask Me for clothing and I shall clothe you.” All of you are naked except those I clothe, for the human being emerges from his mother’s womb without any garments—indeed, without even the body hair that covers animals. Such is the wisdom of Allah, exalted is He.

Part of His wisdom is that He brings us forth with our flesh exposed and our skins bare so that we may recognize our need for a covering that physically conceals our nakedness, just as we need righteous deeds to cover our moral nakedness. God-fearingness is a garment, as He says, “But the garment of God-fearingness—that is best” (al-Aʿrāf 26). So look within yourself and you will find that you