his heart, the sickness within it, and his abandonment of the jihad Allah has commanded. Reflect carefully on this, for this is a perilous matter.

People fall into two groups in this regard. One group enjoins good, forbids evil, and fights, claiming to seek an end to strife, yet their actions cause even greater strife. Such are those who fight in the conflicts that arise within the Muslim community, like the Khawārij.

Others shrink from enjoining good, forbidding evil, and fighting through which religion becomes entirely for Allah and His word becomes supreme, lest they be tempted—yet they have already fallen into temptation.

The temptation mentioned in Surah Barā’ah includes being captivated by physical beauty, for this was the occasion for the verse’s revelation. Such is the condition of many religious people: they abandon their duty to enjoin good, forbid evil, and undertake jihad through which religion becomes entirely for Allah and His word becomes supreme, lest they be tempted by sensual desires