worshippers—claims more prevalent among them than among scholars and those engaged in jihad. The same applies to seeking nearness to Allah through innovated acts of worship. It is well known that every group includes both the righteous and the wicked, the utterly truthful and the heretical. It is obligatory to maintain allegiance to Allah’s God-fearing friends from every group and to hate the unbelievers and hypocrites from every group. A sinful Muslim is accorded allegiance in proportion to his faith and enmity in proportion to his sinfulness. For the position of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah is that a sinful Muslim is entitled to reward and liable to punishment, unless Allah pardons him. Those sinful people whom Allah wills must enter Hell, although no person of faith will remain there forever. Rather, the hypocrites will remain there forever, just as those who openly profess unbelief will.

Third:

Most soldiers, scholars, and others who receive funds for serving the Muslims’ interests are also in need. Indeed, most have no income apart from their stipend. Someone who receives funds on grounds of both service and need has a stronger claim than someone who receives them solely on grounds of need.

Fourth:

When a grant serves the Muslims’ interests, no consideration is given to whether the recipient’s intention is sound or corrupt. If the ruler were to give to needy people unable to fight, while withholding payment from the fighting men until they set right their intentions toward the Muslims, the unbelievers would overrun the Muslim lands; for making grants conditional