Self-sufficiency in God (istighna billah)

The Sheikh distinguishes between being self-sufficient in God and being free of a thing. The first, he says, is true self-sufficiency and true faith, while the second is asceticism regarding that thing. ¹

The Sheikh says that when people are occupied with the world, with building, rank or social standing, the believer should be occupied with God, and when people are self-sufficient in the world, one should be self-sufficient in God. ^{2 3}

The Sheikh says that the first sign of self-sufficiency in God is that a person fears none but God, and that fear of a creature shows that self-sufficiency in God has not been reached. ^{4 5}

The Sheikh says that the second sign is depending on what is in God's hand rather than on what is in one's own hand. ⁶