from reason, religion, and humanity altogether, if taken as a universal principle. But if someone accepts this in certain matters, so that he sometimes ceases to hate what Allah hates or to feel indignation when Allah’s sacred limits are violated, his faith is deficient to that extent.

Indeed, it is established in the Sahīh, on the authority of Abū Sa‘īd, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then with his heart—and that is the weakest level of faith.”

If the heart does not reject what Allah hates and detests, it contains no faith.

It is also reported in the Sahīh that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Whoever dies without having fought or having contemplated fighting dies with a trait of hypocrisy.”

This is borne out by the words of Allah Most High:

“Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your kindred, the wealth you have acquired, the trade whose decline you fear, and the homes you cherish are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His cause, then wait…” (Surah al-Tawbah, 24, to the end of the verse)

In Surah Barā’ah and elsewhere, Allah has described qualities of the hypocrites that contain a lesson for these people. And He described the believing men and women in His words:

“The believing men and believing women