۞

« few’, he warned them, ‘Do not wish to encounter the enemy, rather ask for safety (ʿāfiya) from God, Exalted is He’,45 from dependency on your own devising (tadbīr) in any situation, and from [being unaware of your] neediness (dūn al-iftiqār) for God, Mighty and Majestic is He. See how when David  asked his Lord to join him with the ranks of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, He replied, ‘You are not on that level, O David.’ He asked, ‘Why is that O Lord?’, to which God replied, ‘Because I tested them and they showed patience. Furthermore, they did not know the world and the world did not know them. But you have known the world and it has known »