However, the proof advanced by Abū Ḥanīfah would have been sound had no evidence been produced to show that the Jews, Christians, Magians, and Sabians are polytheists; for when one clause is conjoined to another, the second is assumed to be different from the first unless a proof establishes that it is identical to it, whether in whole or in part. We therefore state—and success is from Allah:

The very first person to go against the plain wording of the two verses is Abū Ḥanīfah himself, because he considers the Magians to be polytheists, whereas Allah, exalted is He, mentions the Magians separately from the polytheists. His attempt to rely on Allah’s coupling of the two groups thus collapses.

Moreover, we find that Allah, exalted is He, says: “Indeed, Allah does not forgive that a partner be associated with Him, but He forgives whatever is less than that for whomever He wills” (Al-Nisāʾ 48). If there were any form of disbelief that was not polytheism, it would fall under what Allah forgives—unlike polytheism itself—yet no Muslim would claim such a thing.

Ibn Ḥazm then narrates, through the chain recorded by Muslim, from Ibn Masʿūd who said: A man asked, “O Messenger of Allah, which sin is greatest in Allah’s sight?” He replied, “That you set up a rival to Allah while He created you.” The man asked, “And then what?” He said, “That you kill your child for fear that he will share food with you.”

He also transmits, through his chain, from Abū Bakrah who said: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said, “Shall I inform you of the gravest of the major sins?”—he repeated this three times—“associating partners with Allah, disobedience to parents, and false testimony, or false speech.”

And he relates as well, from Abū Hurayrah in a marfūʿ report: “Avoid the seven ruinous sins.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what are they?” He said: