The day every soul shall find present before it what it has done of good and what it has done of evil it will wish that between it and that there were a great distance. The people [of acts] of obedience ahl al-Ṭāʿāt will wish that they had sought more of them. The people [of acts] of opposition ahl al-mukhālafāt will wish that they had curbed in their reins from galloping in the open fields. The one who spoke for them said: Even if I had been given the object of my desire in my time here on earth not everyone who is granted the object of his desire is pointed in the right direction. Then I would have said to the days gone by: Will you not returnḍ And I would have said to the days to come: Will you not keep your distanceḍ God warns you of His self and God is kind to His servants. The allusion from His words God warns you of His Self is for those with deeper knowledge ʿārifūn and the allusion from His words and God is kind to His servants is for novices. [The first] follow rigor and submit humbly and [the latter] follow [the way of] lightened burdens and ease. And it is said that when He said “God warns you of His Self” those hear- ing the address are understandably frightened so He said in combination with it and God is kind to His servants in order to give them reason to hope. Thus His way sunna is to evoke desire and fear in them at the same time. It is said that He annihilates you in His saying “God warns you of His Self” then brings you back to life and causes you to remain by His saying “and God is kind to His servants.”
