O you who believe, be patient, and vie in patience; be steadfast and fear God that you may prosper.He said:Faith has four pillars. The first is trust (tawakkul) in God, the second is complete submission (istislām) to His commands, the third is being content and satisfied (riḍā) with what He has preordained (qaḍāʾihi), and the fourth is gratitude (shukr) for His blessings along with mindfulnessof Him (taqwā).A Section on FaithCertainty (yaqīn) is the heart of faith, patience (ṣabr) is the backbone of faith, and sincerity (ikhlāṣ) is the perfection of faith, for through sincerity the servant reaches true affirmation (taṣdīq). Furthermore,through true affirmation he attains realisation (taḥqīq), and through realisation he reaches God (al-Ḥaqq). Sincerity is the fruit of certainty, for certainty is witnessing (mushāhada) in the innermostsecret (sirr). Moreover, whoever does not experience witnessing in [his] innermost secret in the presence of his Lord ⸢and does not behold Him⸣, has not made his actions sincere. But God knows best.Sahl was asked about His words:
