Risalah Al-Qawa’id
By As Saiyyid Al Qutb Ahmad bin Idris Al-Hasani 
By the name of Allah, the most Gracious, most Merciful
May Allah’s blessings be upon our Master Muhammad and his household in every blink and in every breath in as much as Allah’s broad knowledge encompasses.
What is collectively recommended, for the sensible man who wants to save himself from every perishable situation and wants that Allah make him enter among the ranks of those nearest to Him in all of his affairs, he should follow these principles closely.
Firstly : He should be aware that Allah (the Most Exalted) is definitely going to make him stand before Him and question his particular speech or action. Thus, he should be prepared with an answer to the question from the Lord (the most exalted) before he proceeds with any speech/action. If he sees the answer to be right and pleasing to the Lord (the most exalted) and that Allah would accept it from him, then he should execute the speech/action, for it has praiseworthy consequences in this world and the thereafter.
However, if his answer would not be accepted by God and is not pleasing to Him, then he should avoid that matter regardless, for it brings negative consequences.
This basis is the base of all actions and words. Whoever verifies this firmly, he would have all his affairs built on righteousness inside out, without any defect of any kind. This is the meaning of the prophetic saying “Account yourself before you are accounted and weigh up your deeds before they are weighed up on you”.
Second basis is that man should never ever do a deed or say a word except that the intention is for the sake of Allah. If the intention is rightly for the sake of Allah the Most Exalted and he washes his heart clean from any ambiguous actions performed not for the sake of Allah, he would become a person who would only talk or act after being sure and careful. His deeds would become all pure and unmixed in any way.
This is what our Creator, the Most Exalted, Most High, meant when He told His great Prophet and His Most Beloved Muhammad 
“And keep yourself content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face”. Meaning, the ultimate intention is none but Allah in all his affairs.
Allah, the Most Exalted also said “And have in their minds no favor from anyone for which a reward is expected in return. But only the desire to seek the countenance of their Lord Most High; and soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction.”
Third basis is that he makes his heart full of mercy for all Muslims, elders among them and the young and he should give the Islamic right of respect and reverence. If he is firm on this basis and based on it strengthens his heart, Allah will pour on his body the lights of Lordly mercies and make him taste its sweetness; he will thus get great portion from the prophetic heritage as Allah, the Most Exalted said “We did not send you but for mercy for the worlds”.
This is also the meaning of the word of the prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). “Allah, the Most Exalted has 3 sacred rites, whoever keeps and protects them, Allah will protect for him the affairs of his din and his worldly affairs. Whoever does not keep them, Allah will never keep for him anything: The sacred rite of Islam, my sacred rite and the sacred rite of my womb”.
In this meaning is what the prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told Abu Bakar As-Sidiq (may Allah be pleased with him) “Never ever look down (disgrace) any one among Muslims for the smallest Muslim is a great one with Allah”.
Fourth basis: noble (sublime) morals for which the Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent to complete.
That is the prophet saying, “I was only sent to complete (accomplish) sublime morals”. This basis is the pearl of the religion, the reality of which is that a servant of Allah should be easy going and kind to his family, friends and every Muslim.
The prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said “Dwellers of paradise are all easy going and easy to approach, whereas the dwellers of Hell Fire are all harsh to their families, friends and kin’s”.
And our Lord, the supreme said “And speak fair to the people” meaning not harshly. Allah, the most exalted also said “Say to my servants that they should (only) say those things that are best” Al Ahsan is what comprises all beautiful things are more. To sum up, what you would like people to treat you by, such as nice word, good talk and good work, you must also do likewise to all creatures of Allah, what you dislike being treated with such as dirty word, bad talk and detestable work, you must keep away from it, for Allah does treat the servant by his own character and behavior by which he treats other creatures.
Reward is by its kind. For their (false) attribution (of superstitions to Allah). He will soon punish them, a fitting recompense (for them). Whoever is like a garden of mercy and good shade, under which they rest, so will Allah be for him.
Whoever respects and dignifies a slave for the sake of the slave master, he is actually respecting the master.
It thus comes in Hadith about Allah, the Most Exalted, as saying to the servant on the day of the resurrection:
“I was hungry and you did not feed Me, I asked of you to give Me drink and you did not, and I was sick but you did not pay Me a visit.”
The servant would say “How could You be hungry when You are the Lord of worlds? How could You be sick when You are the Lord of worlds? How could You request for drink when You are the Lord of world?”
Allah, the Most Glorious and High, would say in interpreting it, “But My so and so servant got sick, had you paid him a visit, you would have found Me there. My so and so servant also got hungry, had you given him food, you would’ve found that with Me. My so and so servant also requested drink from you, had you given him drink, you would found that with Me.”
Interpreting Himself, the most Glorious, His saying:
“I was hungry, sick and asked of you to give me a drink”, which means
“My servant got hungry, My servant got sick, and My servant requested drink from you”.
Treating the servant for the sake of his master is, without doubt, treating the master.
Whoever stands firm in this situation and is sincere to Allah, his treatment would be right with the True Lord, the Most High in everything. He would not watch out for anyone but Allah. The collective sublime morals between Allah, the Most High, and his servants is the saying of the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “Respect Allah that He should not see in what He had forbidden you from”.
That is Allah, the Most Glorious, should not find you where He had forbidden you, and should not miss you where He had commanded you to be around.
What makes the servant feel shy from Allah is that he should be cognitive of the fact that Allah’s knowledge encompasses all and that He is a witness to all things. That is Allah’s saying “And know that Allah knows what is in your hearts, and take need of Him; And know that He is Forgiving, Most Forbearing”.
Should the servant be aware of Allah’s watching over him and make that awareness part and parcel of his actions, then there will be in his heart a feeling of shyness to utter or do something that is not pleasing to Allah and does not befit Him who is Great, for the servant is reminded of“And He is with you, wherever you are”.
Allah is with him and is looking at him. For example, if a servant wants to commit adultery or theft, he could not do so while people are looking at him, because that would be degrading and shameful to him.
If that is the case with regards to fellow creatures who can cause no harm nor benefit, then the servant would feel even more ashamed of committing an act that is not pleasing to Allah, should he be aware that Allah is with him and is looking at him. Certainly he would leave that act altogether!
That is the meaning of the Prophetic hadith explaining Al-Ihsan:
“(Ihsan is) to worship Allah as though you are seeing him, and if you are not seeing Him then He is seeing you.”
Whosoever reaches such a state will surely perform his ibadah to the highest standards!
May peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Prophet Muhammad in every blink of the eye and in every breath, inasmuch as Allah’s knowledge encompasses
