“What is it?” He said: “Perseverance.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “What is better than perseverance.” He said: “Contentment.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “What is better than contentment?” He said: “Sincerity.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “What is better than sincerity.” He said: “Abstinence.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “What is better than abstinence?” He said: “Certitude.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “What is better than certitude.” He said: “O' Prophet of God! The way to get to all of the above is reliance on God.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “O' Gabriel! What does reliance on God mean?” Gabriel said: “It means that you know creatures can neither harm nor benefit you, and get to used to having any hopes in the people. When you are this way, you will only rely on God, and will only have hopes in or fear from God. You will never expect anything from anyone but God. This is the meaning of reliance on God.” The prophet (a.s) said: “O' Gabriel! What does perseverance mean?” He said: “Being patient during times of hardship as you are during times of self-sufficiency. Being patient during times of calamities as you are during times of health, and not complaining to God when calamities descend down upon you. The Prophet (a.s) asked: “What does contentment mean?” He said: “A content person does not get angry with his master whether or not he gets access to worldly goods, and is not pleased with his own minimal efforts.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “O' Gabriel! What does abstinence mean?” He said: “Abstinence means: “Liking what your Creator likes, and hating what your Creator hates; staying away from the legitimate things in this world, and totally forgetting about what is forbidden. This is because there is a reckoning for what is made legitimate, and there is punishment for what is forbidden. Abstinence means being kind to all Muslims just as you are with yourself. Abstinence means not overeating just as you stay away from a stinking corpse. Abstinence means staying away from the adornments of this world just as you stay away from an all- encompassing fire. Abstinence means not having high hopes just as if you are about to die.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “O' Gabriel! What does sincerity mean?” He said: “One who is sincere will not ask for anything from the people and he struggles to obtain it himself, and is content with it once he obtains it. He will give what is left over with him in charity for the sake of God, since whoever does not ask any creatures for anything has indeed confessed his servitude to God. God will be pleased with whoever is pleased with what he obtains. Whoever gives charity for God's pleasure has indeed reached the level of trust in his Lord.” The Prophet (a.s) asked: “O' Gabriel! What does certitude mean?” He said: “Whoever has attained certitude performs his deeds for the sake of God just as if he sees God. Even though he cannot see God he knows that God witnesses whatever he does. He is certain that he will suffer as much sorrow and experience as much happiness as he is destined to. He is certain that he will not obtain what is not destined for him. These are all branches of reliance on God, and the steps to abstinence.”