In short, the second excellence alluded to in اَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ is that of the Truthful. When a person attains to this excellence, the divine verities and insights of the Holy Quran are disclosed to them. However, this grace and bounty also comes through divine support. It is my belief that without the support and grace of God Almighty, one cannot so much as move their finger. It is, however, the responsibility of man to strive and make an effort insofar as possible, and he should seek this ability to do so from God as well. He should never lose hope in God, because a believer never loses hope. In this respect, God Almighty states Himself:
لَا يَايۡـَٔسُ مِنۡ رَّوۡحِ اللّٰهِ اِلَّا الۡقَوۡمُ الۡكٰفِرُوۡنَ
This means, only disbelievers despair of the mercy of Allah Almighty. Despair is a most wretched thing. In actuality, a person who loses hope in God Almighty is one who thinks ill of Him.
(Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, p. 85)
