a stern warning that faith may be stripped from this man’s heart, so that he dies in disbelief and does not enter Paradise.

It was also said that the meaning is that, even if he enters Paradise, he will not wear silk and will thus be deprived of it.

If someone were to ask: An objection to this interpretation is that Allah, Exalted is He, says: “Therein is whatever souls desire” [al-Zukhruf 43:71]. It is well known that silk garments are something the soul desires, so how may this be answered?

We say: The answer—and knowledge belongs to Allah—is either that he will be deprived of silk clothing for a period known to Allah alone, or that his soul will not desire this silk. This would constitute a deficiency in his bliss, such that he would not enjoy complete bliss—just as an ill person may not desire a certain type of food, which constitutes a deficiency in his enjoyment of food.

Not if They Are Equal

His statement, “not if they are equal,” means that silk is not forbidden if the two are equal.

The pronoun refers to the silk and the material combined with it, because a permissive factor and a prohibiting factor have come together. The basic principle is permissibility until we know that this is among that to which prohibition applies. We are uncertain whether it falls under the prohibition of silk, while the basic principle is permissibility.

Some of our companions, may Allah have mercy on them, said instead that if they are equal, it is forbidden (1). They based this on the well-known principle: “When a permissive factor and a prohibiting factor come together, the prohibiting factor takes precedence.” Each view has a basis, and both lines of reasoning are sound. Those who hold that it is not forbidden when the two are equal say: What is forbidden is silk, and we have treated the greater proportion as equivalent to the whole; but to treat an equal proportion as equivalent to the whole,