Al-Bukhārī also narrated this hadith from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“A servant is not a believer while committing unlawful sexual intercourse; he is not a believer while stealing; he is not a believer while drinking wine; and he is not a believer while killing.”

ʿIkrimah said: “I asked Ibn ʿAbbās, ‘How is faith taken away from him?’ He replied, ‘Like this,’ interlacing his fingers and then separating them. ‘If he repents, it returns to him like this,’ and he interlaced his fingers again.”

When that love accompanies these major sins in a person’s soul, it stirs the soul into action and strengthens its desire. He gives money he would not otherwise have given, braves dangers he would not otherwise have faced, and devises schemes and plans he would not previously have devised. He becomes lost in thought and contemplation as never before. When people saw that such love involved qualities of a generally praiseworthy kind, they praised it on their account. This is akin to praising wine for the courage, generosity, joy, and the like that it produces.