so they bring about the desired result; yet if He wills, He can prevent them from producing any outcome. All of this belongs to Allah alone—He is the One praised in times of ease and hardship, in adversity and prosperity. Such is the perfection of certainty.

By contrast, the person whose heart is attached to people and who inclines toward the outward means: if some good reaches him through others, he praises them; but if he does not obtain what he wants, he censures and reproaches them. This betrays weak certainty and a flawed reliance upon Allah.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ended the ḥadīth by reaffirming and clarifying the principle stated at the beginning: giving and withholding occur only by Allah’s command and according to His wisdom; they are never contingent on a servant’s eagerness or aversion.

Relevance of the ḥadīth to the chapter: it demonstrates the obligation of fastening one’s heart to Allah alone for securing benefit and warding off harm, fearing and revering Him exclusively, and ignoring people’s praise or blame concerning what is given or withheld.

Lessons derived from the ḥadīth:
1- The duty to rely on Allah, fear Him, and seek provision from Him.
2- Affirmation of divine decree and predestination.
3- The inadmissibility of relying solely on outward causes.
4- Giving precedence to Allah’s pleasure over the pleasure of created beings.