he would never do it. This is why everyone who disobeys Allah Most High is ignorant, as the Companions of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said. For if he truly understood what he was doing, he would neither do what is evil nor neglect what is obligatory. Rather, every community’s deeds have been made attractive to them.

Yet when a sinner possesses the foundation of faith, his deed is not made attractive to him in every respect. He regards it as good in one respect and dislikes it in another. At the moment he commits it, however, its attractiveness prevails. Hence He said:

“Made attractive to people is the love of desires.”
[Surah Āl ʿImrān 14]

And so the verse continues. There are two things here: the love of desires, and the fact that this indecency has been made attractive and presented as good. They therefore regard that love as good, so it becomes firmly established within them, and they take pleasure in the things they love. If, however, they regard that love as evil because of the harm it entails, it will not become firmly established in their hearts. Seeing that love as good draws them towards it, whereas seeing it as evil repels them from it.

Likewise, concerning faith, He mentioned that He endeared it to the believers and made it beautiful in their hearts, so that they regarded it as good. For when something is made both beloved and beautiful, it will never be abandoned.