this path, and they possess a basic share of Allah’s favor and will inevitably enter Paradise.

As for the Prophet’s statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “It refers only to associating partners with Allah,” if he meant major association of partners with Allah, his intent is that whoever is not guilty of it is safe from the punishment in this world and the Hereafter with which those who associate partners with Allah are threatened, and is guided to that end.

If, however, he meant association of partners with Allah in all its forms, then it may be said: a servant’s wronging himself—for example, by withholding, out of love of wealth, some of what he is obliged to give—is a minor form of associating partners with Allah. Likewise, loving what Allah hates to the point of giving precedence to one’s own desires over love for Allah is a minor form of associating partners with Him, and so on. Whoever does this loses a corresponding measure of security and guidance. This is why the early Muslims included sins within this wrongdoing when considering it in this light.