4. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from ‘Isa ibn Ayyub from Ali ibn Mahziyar from al-Fadl ibn Yunus from abu al-Hassan who has said the following:

“You should say very often, ‘O Lord, do not include me among those whose beliefs are temporary and do not make me feel free of shortcomings.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘I know the meaning of people whose beliefs are temporary. They come into a religion and then abandon it. What is the meaning of, “Do not make me feel free of shortcomings?”’ The Imam said, ‘It is when after all the worship of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, that you may do, you still think that you are falling far short of doing true worship. All people fall far short in their worshipping Allah truly except those to whom Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has granted protection.’”