Chapter on A Man Who Leaves Some Supererogatory Acts Out of Concern for People

to the glory of God Almighty, from them, by their knowledge of them.

And perhaps you suppose that: «that is greater than sin» and it manifests from them more intensely, and the brokenness is greater, «what you used to manifest» in order to clear their breasts of what they supposed or wished.

If you wished to know that the nafs (self) has inclined toward one of them, or abandoned [its resolve], then if they changed toward you, observe how your grief is at the loss of their praise. For your grief at that indicates its inclination toward their praise. And if they did not change, then present to your self [the question]: if they were to change from praise to blame toward you, how would your grief be at that? If you grieve, then let fear overcome your qalb (heart). And know that it was inclined toward their praise. And if you are not grieved, do not conclude with certainty that it [the self] is truthful, for it may be that it is content with the abandonment of grief only because what has not yet befallen it is their blame.

And a servant may be truthful in nafy (negation) along with the praise of servants, but when he is tested with blame, his ikhlas (sincerity) departs from him. And how rare is that! So the [appropriate response is] fear—or rather, fear that it [the self] may be lying in its sincerity when you grieve at the loss of praise.

Chapter on a Man Who Abandons Some Supererogatory Acts Out of Compassion for People, Lest They Disobey God, Glorious and Exalted, Therein

I said: What do you say regarding: "Is it more virtuous that I abandon some supererogatory acts out of compassion for people, lest they disobey God Most High concerning me, or that I perform them?"

Morals

Indeed in that there is a delusion from you: that you suppose about a servant that he would do evil to you, so how would your intellect

and so you abandon works on account of that.

You have thus combined two traits: you harbored ill suspicion about him, and you abandoned what draws you near to God, Exalted and Glorious.

And you may also abandon some of what is obligatory. Perhaps you abandon visiting relatives out of fear of passing by them. And perhaps you see from someone a reprehensible act, yet you refrain from commanding him because in your estimation he will not accept, though you do not know that from him with certainty. So you let that matter pass and harbor ill ẓann (suspicion) about him — unless he is an openly dissolute sinner, for in that case the suspicion about him is warranted alongside his open sinfulness.

And perhaps when you command him, the reciter will argue with you, so you abandon much of the obligatory and the supererogatory lest God be disobeyed. If you were truthful in your claim, then you have been cheated and you harbored ill suspicion.

And if you were not truthful, then the nafs (self) merely recoiled from blame, and it made you imagine that it desired compassion and sincere counsel, while you showed no concern for them in other matters — you do not leave them alone regarding your worldly affairs, and even if you supposed that they disobey God, Exalted and Glorious, you do not become angry — if you were to become angry — neither on their behalf nor for anything else.

And this quality which you claim is the quality of the prophets, the abdāl (substitutes), and those who show mercy to creation — examine whether you recognize in yourself such concern for creation in your states. If you recognize yourself by this, then you have placed compassion in a situation other than its proper place, since ill suspicion has barred you from obedience, and you are not certain about a matter concerning him over which you would show such concern — unless it be a matter that would not diminish from you any obligation or supererogatory act, so you abandon it out of solicitude lest Satan gain entry over them.

But you are only in that state at the very time you show concern for them, yet you do not say "lest I expose them to temptation," and you do not leave them alone regarding either supererogatory or obligatory acts — and so the enemy has obtained from you what he desired.