Secret charity, forging familial connections, general good acts, and the kalimah defend against varieties of evil and trials
“Charity in secret extinguishes God's anger; Tying bonds of kinship increases the lifespan; Manufacturing maʿrūf (the known good) protects against the factories of evil; and the statement "lā ilāha illā Allah" (There is no god worthy of worship except Allah) defends the one saying it from ninety-nine gates of trial, the least of which is uneasiness."
"إِنَّ صَدَقَةَ السِّرِّ تطفئُ غَضَبَ الرَّبِّ، وإِن صَلَةَ الرحِمِ تَزِيدُ في العُمْرِ، وإِنَّ صَنائع الْمَعْرُوف تَقِى مَصَارِعَ السوء، وإِن قولَ: لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، تَدْفَعُ عن قَائِلها تسعةً وتِسْعِينَ بابًا من الْبَلَاءِ، أدْنَاهَا الْهَمُّ".