Imam al-Ghazali on Capital and Profit

I was recently reading the translation of Imam al-Ghazali’s book "The Beginning of Guidance" (بداية الهداية) with a group of brothers for a study circle and the following passage made me smile in the practical way it eloquently explained acts of obedience to God as an analogy to capital and profit.

KNOW THAT THE commandments of Allah Most High pertain to the obligatory and the voluntary. The obligatory acts constitute the capital, by which salvation is attained. The voluntary acts are the profit, by which are reached the high levels of success. The Messenger of Allah said, "Allah Most High says, "Those who draw near to Me do not draw near to Me with anything better than the acts I have made obligatory upon them. And a servant continues to draw nearer to Me by voluntary acts of worship until I love him. And when I love him, I become the hearing with which he hears, the sight with which he sees, the tongue with which he speaks, the hand with which he strikes, and the foot with which he walks" (Sahih Bukhāri)

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