His words, Exalted is He:

If you are thankful then assuredly I will give you more…

He [Sahl] said:

Gratitude (shukr) for knowledge is acting (ʿamal) [on this knowledge].^{1Lit. ‘Gratitude for knowledge is action’. That is, either that gratitude is manifested by our acting according to our knowledge, or that by having gratitude we are granted ‘gratitude’s increase’ through the ability to act according to our knowledge.} Gratitude for acting [on this knowledge] increases [one’s] knowledge.^{2That is, gratitude for having acted according to our knowledge, which is only by the grace of God. This statement recalls the tradition that whoever acts according to their knowledge will be given knowledge that they did not have, a tradition which is cited by Makkī in his Qūt al-qulūb, vol. 1, p. 217.} This is how it always is, and this is its condition.

He also said:

Gratitude is that you should acknowledge [that] increase.^{3Translating al-shukr an tarā al-mazīd according to all three MSS Z515, f. 61b, F638, f. 29a and F3488, f. 233b, instead of al-shukr an turīda’l-mazīd. The former seems more plausible in the context. It is worth bearing in mind that the word raʾā can have the meaning of seeing in the sense of experiencing as well as seeing in the sense of recognising, acknowledging.} Otherwise gratitude is flawed. The true realisation of weakness (ḥaqīqat al-ʿajz) is in acknowledging it. It is reported that David, عليه السلام said, ‘How can I thank You when through my gratitude I receive renewed bounty from You?’ God replied, ‘Now you have shown true gratitude towards me.’^{4David’s recognition that his state of gratitude is necessarily accompanied by increase thus demonstrates both his true gratitude, and his true awareness of humanity’s incapacity to experience or express gratitude that is free of God’s favour and infinite bounty.}

His words, Exalted is He:

…But God favours whomever He will of His servants…

That is, [He favours them] with [the ability to] recite (tilāwa) His Book and understand (fahm) it.

His words, Exalted is He:

Have you not seen that God created the heavens and Earth in truth?...

He [Sahl] said:

He created all things through His omnipotence (qudra), adorned them through His knowledge (ʿilm), and governed them through His wisdom (ḥikma). Thus, to the one who contemplates the Creator through the creation, the wonders of the creation will become apparent. But to the one who contemplates the creation through the Creator, the traces of His omnipotence, the lights of His wisdom and the extent and profundity (balīgh) of His workmanship (ṣanʿa) will be unveiled.

Sahl was asked about the meaning of His words:

Have you not seen how God has coined a similitude? A goodly saying is as a goodly tree; its roots set firm and its branches in heaven.

He replied:

It was related from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهم that the Prophet ﷺ went out to his Companions while they were discussing the ‘goodly tree’, and he ﷺ said: ‘That is the believer whose root is in the earth and whose branch is in heaven.’ This means that his works are raised to the heavens and accepted. This is the similitude that God coined for the believer and the disbeliever. So He said, A goodly saying, that is, a saying of sincerity (ikhlāṣ), is as a goodly tree, that is, the date palm; its roots set firm and its branches in heaven, that is, its branches rise up to heaven. Likewise the root of the works of a believer are in the saying [which attests to] God’s oneness (kalimat al-tawḥīd), which is a firm root whose branches, his works, are raised up to the heavens and accepted, unless there is some deficiency or ill-effect (iḥdāth) in them. However, even then the root of his actions, namely the saying which attests to God’s oneness, is not removed, just as the winds shake the branches of the date palm, but its root remains firmly in place.

He likened the actions of a disbeliever to a foul tree (shajara khabītha), saying but an evil saying is as a bad tree [14:26], meaning the colocynth tree (ḥanẓal). It is the foulest on the earth, for it has no roots at all beneath it. Just so is disbelief and hypocrisy, which have no endurance in the Hereafter. Thus, in the treasure houses of God, there is nothing greater than the attestation of God’s oneness (tawḥīd).

Sahl was asked about the meaning of ‘There is no god save God’ (lā ilāha illā’Llāh). He said: ‘There is no bestower of benefit (nāfiʿ) and no defender (dāfiʿ) except God, Exalted is He.’

He was asked about islām, īmān and iḥsān.^{1The three levels of islām, īmān and iḥsān are raised in the so-called ‘Ḥadīth of Gabriel’ (ḥadīth Jibrīl). On this ḥadīth see above IT, p. lviii, n. 265.} He answered:

Islām is the law (ḥukm), īmān is the bond [with God] (waṣl) and iḥsān is the reward (thawāb); and for that reward there is a reward. Islām is the affirmation (iqrār), and that is outward, īmān pertains to the unseen; and iḥsān is devotion (taʿabbud) — or he might have said: īmān is certainty (yaqīn).

He [Sahl] was also asked about the code of laws of Islam and he said:

The scholars have spoken about it, and at great length too. However it can be summarised in two precepts (kalimatān): And take whatever the Messenger gives you, and abstain from whatever he forbids you [59:7].

Then he said:

It can be summarised in one precept: Whoever obeys the Messenger verily obeys God [4:80].

His words, Exalted is He:

It produces its fruit every season (ḥīn), by leave of its Lord…

He [Abū Bakr al-Sijzī] said, ‘Ibn al-Musayyib used to say the word ḥīn is six months. A man posed the question: “I have sworn an oath that my wife will not visit her family for a ḥīn. So what is a ḥīn?” Saʿd said, “The ḥīn lasts from the time that the date palm flowers until the time that its dates ripen, or from the time that its dates ripen until it blossoms.” Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهم said, “Kulla ḥīn means morning and night.” He is of the same view as Sahl Ibn ʿAbd Allāh who said, “God coined this similitude referring to the people who have gnosis (maʿrifa) of God with regard to their performing His obligations night and day.”’

His words, Exalted is He:

...If you tried to enumerate God’s favour[s] you could never calculate them…

due to the fact that He has made the Emissary the most elevated, and the greatest mediator (wāsiṭa) between you and Him.