and so that Allah’s Word might stand supreme, sparing them the trial of carnal desires. Yet they have already fallen into a temptation far greater than the one from which they claim to be fleeing. What is required of them is simply to carry out the obligatory and to avoid the prohibited—two inseparable duties. They have abandoned both because their souls will comply only if they undertake both together or leave both together.

This resembles the case of many who crave authority, wealth, and the pleasures of error: when such a person fulfills his obligations of commanding, forbidding, striving, and leadership, he cannot help but commit some of the forbidden as well.

He is therefore obliged to weigh the two considerations. If the commanded act promises a reward greater than the harm incurred by the accompanying sin, he must not forego the duty for fear of a lesser evil. Conversely, if refraining from the forbidden deed yields a reward greater than that of a lesser duty, he should not sacrifice that benefit in pursuit of the smaller reward. In the end, his ledger will hold a mixture of good and bad deeds—so it is, and detailing every aspect would take us too far afield.

Every human being on earth is inevitably involved in commanding and forbidding; he must both command and forbid. Even in solitude he commands and forbids his own soul—either to good or to evil—

as the Most High says:

“Indeed, the soul is ever urging to evil” (Yusuf 12:53).

Commanding is the act of seeking and willing a deed; forbidding is the act of seeking and willing abstention. Every living being possesses a will and a desire that impel him to act himself and, when possible, to influence the actions of others. For man is a living creature who moves by his own volition, and the children of Adam cannot survive except through cooperation with one another.