His words, Exalted is He:

…So have full awareness of God, and set things right between you…

He [Sahl]said:

Having full awareness of God (taqwā) means abandoning everything which befalls one [which might impede that awareness]. Among the proprieties (ādāb), it refers to the noblest character traits. It means that even if one should be enticed [by reward] (targhīb), one does not reveal a secret, and even if one should be intimidated (tarhīb), one does not remain on the side of ignorance. Furthermore, full awareness of God is not acceptable except in the one who is a follower of the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions.

His words:

The believers are those whose hearts tremble [with awe], when God is mentioned…

He [Sahl] said:

Their [hearts] tremble from the fear of separation (firāq), and hence their bodily members humbly submit to God in [His] service (khidma).

His words, Exalted is He:

Remember when He caused drowsiness to overcome you, as a reassurance from Him…

He [Sahl] said:

Drowsiness (nuʿās) descends from the brain while yet the heart remains awake [lit. alive]. Sleep (nawm) [only descends] on the heart outwardly.^{1That is, the heart only appears to be asleep.} That is the rule (ḥukm) [for] sleep. However, the same rule [that applied to the heart] regarding drowsiness [applies to] the spirit (rūḥ).^{2That is, the spirit remains ‘awake’ or ‘alive’. The affect of sleep on the different parts of the inner make-up of the human being is discussed by Tustarī below in his commentary on 39:42. Again see IT, pp. xxxix–xl.}

His words:

If [O disbelievers] you were seeking a judgement, the judgement has now come to you…

This is because Abū Jahl said on the Day of Badr, ‘O God! Give victory to the best of the two religions with You, and the most pleasing of them to You.’ Then the verse descended, If you were seeking a judgement, meaning, ‘If you were seeking to be helped [to victory].’

It has been reported of the Prophet ﷺ that he would seek victory for the sake of the destitute (ṣaʿālīk) among the Emigrants, that is, he sought to be helped [to victory] for the sake of the poor (fuqarāʾ) among them.^{1Ibn Ḥanbal, al-Musnad, vol. 3, p. 96; Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-awsaṭ, vol. 3, p. 348.}

His words:

For had God known any good in them, He would indeed have made them hear…

That is, He would have opened the locks of their hearts with faith.

His words:

…If you fear God, He will grant you a criterion (furqān)…

That is, a light in religion, by which [you can distinguish] between truth and falsehood in doubtful matters.

His words:

In order that God may separate the wicked from the good…

He [Sahl] said:

Wickedness (khabīth) takes different forms: it may be disbelief (kufr), hypocrisy (nifāq), or grave sins (kabāʾir). Likewise goodness (ṭayyib) is manifested in different forms: [that is to say], goodness is faith (īmān), within which are included the [different] ranks of the prophets (anbiyāʾ), veracious (ṣiddīqūn), martyrs (shuhadāʾ) and virtuous (ṣāliḥūn). God, Exalted is He, has informed us that He has separated them from one another [i.e. the good from the bad], and He then ranks the corrupt, one above the other, according to the measure of each of their sins, level upon level, just as He has said: Verily the hypocrites will be in the lowest level of the Fire [4:145].

His words:

…[and lest] your strength (rīḥ) fade…^{1These words form part of an exhortation to the believers. The whole verse [8:46] reads: And obey God and His Messenger, and do not quarrel with one another, lest you falter, and your strength fade; and be patient. Surely God is with the patient. In Tafsīr al-Jalālayn, the word strength has been glossed as ‘power and dominion’.}

That is, your power (dawla).

His words:

…He turned his back...^{1‘He’ here is Satan, who had been encouraging the army of the unbelievers on the occasion of the Battle of Badr. However, when he saw the two armies approaching each other, he disappeared whence he had come.}

[That is], whence he came.

His words:

Because God will never change a grace that He has conferred on a people, until they change that which is in themselves…

He [Sahl] said:

Verily God most High has privileged the prophets عليهم السلام and some of the veracious (ṣiddīqūn) by acquainting them with the blessings (anʿām) He had bestowed upon them, before they disappear.^{1That is, they are able to appreciate the ephemeral blessings and graces before they inevitably disappear, perhaps also with an awareness of their transience.} God showed clemency towards them.

His words:

But [now] enjoy what you took in war, lawful and good…

He said:

The lawful (ḥalāl) is that in which [a person] does not disobey God, and the good (ṭayyib) is that in which he does not forget God.

His words:

Truly those who believed and emigrated and strove with their wealth and their lives in the way of God…

He [Sahl] said:

All forms of obedience to God involve struggle with the lower self (jihād al-nafs). There is no struggle easier than the struggle with swords, and no struggle harder than opposing the lower self.